NEW YORK, Dec. 8 (UPI) — President-elect Donald Trump has tapped World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. co-founder Linda McMahon to lead the U.S. Small Business Administration, his transition team said.
McMahon and her husband, Vince McMahon, founded WWE, which has a market value of about $1.5 billion, more than 30 years ago. She ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut twice, spending nearly $100 million on the campaigns.
While on the campaign trail, McMahon voiced support for a lower corporate tax rate and a reduction in regulations — support Trump also had during his recent presidential campaign.
Honored to be appointed by President-Elect @realDonaldTrump to serve as head of @SBAgov advocating for our small businesses & entrepreneurs!— Linda McMahon (@Linda_McMahon) December 7, 2016
In a Wednesday statement, Trump said McMahon would work to “bring back our jobs and roll back the burdensome regulations that are hurting our middle class.”
McMahon, who previously served as CEO of WWE, said small businesses are the “largest source of job creation in our country.”
“I am honored to join the incredibly impressive economic team that President-elect Trump has assembled to ensure that we promote our country’s small businesses and help them grow and thrive,” McMahon said in a statement.
McMahon gave $6 million to a Trump-supporting super PAC during the campaign.
Trump is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2007, Trump took on Vince McMahon in wrestling’s iconic “Battle of the Billionaires” match. Trump defeated Vince McMahon and shaved his head.