Indications that President-elect Donald Trump wants to install his former Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon as commerce secretary are winning applause from officials eager to elevate the department’s impact in global affairs.
McMahon, the co-founder and former CEO of the professional wrestling franchise WWE, is the co-chairwoman of the Trump transition and head of the influential pro-Trump America First Policy Institute.
A longtime Trump friend and ally, McMahon is considered the front-runner for the post and a top advocate of the president-elect’s trade and tariff plans.
“Linda McMahon would do an outstanding job,” said public affairs executive Ron Bonjean, the commerce communications director under former President George W. Bush and a senior adviser to Trump’s 2016 transition team.
“This is someone who has serious business chops, who understands the role to be played as a secretary of commerce, and she’ll have the respect of colleagues from Main Street to Wall Street,” said Bonjean, the co-founder of Washington’s ROKK Solutions.
Another insider said McMahon is also a Trump loyalist who is eager to promote his agenda, including the key plans for expanded U.S. trade and tariffs if needed.
“She knows who the star is. She knows who’s the boss. She won’t call undue attention to herself. She’ll be supporting the president anyway she can,” the source said.
McMahon was described as a good fit for the oddball department that oversees several unrelated agencies, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the census.
And because of Trump’s focus on trade and McMahon’s relationship with Trump, insiders said she could elevate the department’s status.
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Trump’s transition team has been on a fast pace, already picking several top officials and White House staffers. His new chief of staff and former campaign co-manager Susie Wiles told donors this week that the president-elect realizes he needs a fast start because his impact will be in the first two years, before the 2028 presidential campaign kicks in.
Trump is a WWE fan and often attended fights during the campaign.