An Open Letter to Linda McMahon, Trump's Pick for Education Secretary
Your Nomination Threatens to Body-Slam Public Education and Leave Millions of Students Down for the Count
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Dear Ms. McMahon,
Your nomination as Secretary of Education isn’t just insulting—it’s a calculated affront, a middle finger to public education and the millions of Americans who depend on it. Not because your professional history is unconventional for this role—that would be an understatement—but because it embodies Donald Trump’s ongoing war against public education.
Far from being a champion of educational equity, your nomination threatens to transform the Department of Education into a battleground for partisan extremism, religious indoctrination, and corporate profiteering. Your nomination confirms what many feared: the Trump administration’s assault on public education is deliberate, calculated, and now embodied in you.
Unqualified, Unprepared, and Unbelievable
Your professional history offers no reassurance. As CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), your career revolved around choreographed conflict, flashy pyrotechnics, and scripted outcomes—skills that are as irrelevant to education policy as a folding chair is to curriculum development. Your tenure at WWE was also marked by controversies, including allegations of sexual misconduct and exploitative practices, raising further questions about your ability to lead with integrity and prioritize the well-being of those you serve. Now, it seems the Department of Education is merely the latest stage for political performance art, where millions of students are unwitting extras in your ideological charade.
Your qualifications for this position aren’t just laughable—they’re a reckless gamble, a blatant disregard of the educators, students, and parents who deserve a leader, not a sycophantic radical-right mascot. Wrestling theatrics may prepare one to script fake rivalries, but they do nothing to prepare you for the profound and unscripted challenges of running a national education system.
Your brief, controversial stint on Connecticut’s Board of Education (2009–2010) underscores your unfitness for this role. During that time, you misrepresented your educational credentials, falsely claiming to have earned a degree from East Carolina University. This dishonesty raises serious concerns about your integrity and underscores your lack of preparation for the challenges of shaping national education policy. Now, at the federal level, your nomination appears as yet another politically motivated appointment devoid of merit or qualifications.
Since your Connecticut controversy, you have pivoted to chairing the America First Policy Institute, an organization whose name is as misleading as its agenda is destructive.
America First Policy Institute: Destruction in Disguise
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI), which you chaired before this nomination, is not a think tank—it’s a weapon aimed squarely at the heart of public education. Cloaked in the thin disguise of public service, the AFPI peddles a vision of education that is as regressive as it is destructive—a hand grenade lobbed into the heart of equity and inclusion.
The so-called “patriotic education” programs you champion are Orwellian exercises in revisionist history. They erase the realities of systemic racism, colonialism, and inequality, replacing them with a sanitized, white-washed narrative that glorifies white supremacy. This isn’t patriotism—it’s a propaganda machine designed to churn out ignorance while wrapping it in the flag.
Your involvement with Project 2025, a radical Heritage Foundation initiative, signals an even more troubling agenda. This blueprint proposes gutting Title I funding for low-income schools, dismantling Head Start programs, and diverting public dollars to unregulated private and religious institutions. It envisions a system where education serves not as a public good but as a tool for ideological indoctrination.
AFPI, Heritage, and Ziklag aren’t about “freedom” or “choice.” They are ideological wrecking balls, designed to demolish public education under the guise of reform. The goal is clear: replace education with indoctrination, and equity with exclusion.
Heritage and Ziklag: Propaganda for Pupils
The Heritage Foundation, long a bastion of far-right policy, has been instrumental in shaping your agenda. For decades, Heritage has waged war on public education, advocating for defunding schools, weakening federal oversight, and privatizing learning. Programs like “school choice” are Trojan horses for diverting resources from public schools to private and religious entities. This isn’t about giving parents options—it’s about dismantling the last bastion of opportunity for millions of Americans who aren’t born into privilege or wealth.
Even more troubling is your cozy alliance with the Ziklag Group, a cabal of Christian nationalist extremists whose vision for America looks more like a handmaid’s theocracy than a functioning democracy. In their dream world, public schools are little more than pulpits for their dogma, teaching creationism instead of science and enforcing rigid, antiquated gender roles. Their endgame is to erase the separation of church and state, transforming classrooms into sites of religious indoctrination.
Trump’s Histrionics: Fearmongering as Policy
Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric about “Marxists” infiltrating the Department of Education is not just baseless—it’s a conspiratorial smear designed to stoke division and fear. But then, what else would we expect from someone who knows as much about public education as he does about humility? Trump has never set foot in a public school as a student or a parent. His understanding comes exclusively from the radical groups that flatter him, fund him, and tell him that destroying public schools in favor of private, unregulated indoctrination camps is their ultimate prize. He doesn’t understand public education or care about the millions of families it serves.
In typical Trump fashion, his remarks are as uninformed as they are incendiary. He has called the Department of Education "an unconstitutional nightmare" and promised to dismantle it without offering a coherent alternative. He’s labeled public schools "factories of radicalism" while failing to name a single program he’d replace. And his pledge to purge "radicals, zealots, and Marxists" from classrooms is nothing but bluster—a calculated distraction from the extremists he’s enabled in groups like AFPI, Heritage, and Ziklag.
If this crusade succeeds, the consequences will be catastrophic. Public schools—especially in rural and underprivileged areas—will crumble, leaving millions of families without viable educational options. Communities will suffer as resources are siphoned into private religious institutions, while classrooms become battlegrounds for cultural indoctrination rather than centers for learning and opportunity.
Who Really Pays the Price?
Your nomination, and the policies you’ve aligned yourself with, aren’t theoretical—they will devastate millions of Americans, especially those in the red states Republicans claim to champion. Consider the following:
Defunding Title I Schools: In states like Mississippi (Red State), Alabama (Red State), West Virginia (Red State), Oklahoma (Red State), and Arkansas (Red State), where poverty rates are among the highest in the nation, Title I funding is a lifeline for low-income students. Eliminating these funds would widen educational disparities, leaving millions without basic resources like textbooks, technology, and qualified teachers.
Eroding Rural Education: Rural communities, particularly in states like Kentucky (Red State), Montana (Red State), Wyoming (Red State), and Idaho (Red State), rely heavily on public schools, which are often the sole providers of education. Redirecting funds to private institutions will leave these areas with crumbling schools and fewer opportunities for their children.
Harming Special Education: Federal programs like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provide critical support to students with disabilities. Gutting these programs will disproportionately harm families in states like South Dakota (Red State), North Dakota (Red State), and Louisiana (Red State), who cannot afford private care or specialized schools.
Privatizing Public Schools: Republican-led initiatives, aligned with your agenda, push for privatizing public schools through voucher programs and tax credits. This approach redirects taxpayer dollars to private and religious institutions, disproportionately benefiting affluent families while leaving public schools underfunded. States like Arizona (Red State) and Indiana (Red State), which have expanded such programs, have seen public school funding suffer, exacerbating inequality and undermining access to quality education for low-income and rural students.
Suppressing Critical Thinking: Through “patriotic education” and curriculum censorship, your agenda seeks to replace evidence-based teaching with ideological dogma, leaving students in states like Texas (Red State), Florida (Red State), and Tennessee (Red State) unprepared for a globalized world that values critical inquiry and intellectual diversity.
Targeting Teacher Autonomy: The war on so-called “woke” education includes targeting teacher autonomy. States like Florida (Red State) and Texas (Red State) have passed laws restricting teachers from discussing race, gender, or LGBTQ+ topics in classrooms, creating a climate of fear and censorship. These policies not only harm students by limiting exposure to diverse perspectives but also drive talented educators out of the profession, worsening the teacher shortage crisis.
Dismantling Early Education Programs: Programs like Head Start provide crucial support to working-class families in states like Georgia (Red State), South Carolina (Red State), and Missouri (Red State). Their elimination will force parents—particularly mothers—out of the workforce and exacerbate cycles of poverty.
Undermining Higher Education: Your policies don’t stop at K–12 education. Proposals to slash funding for public universities and increase restrictions on curricula threaten higher education as well. States like North Carolina (Red State) and Wisconsin (Red State) are already seeing ideological attacks on public colleges, jeopardizing academic freedom and the preparation of students for competitive, globalized job markets.
Fueling Charter School Scandals: The push for unregulated charter school expansion has resulted in financial mismanagement and corruption scandals across states like Ohio (Red State) and Michigan (Red State). These schools often operate with little oversight, funneling taxpayer dollars into for-profit ventures while delivering subpar education outcomes. Your advocacy for this model amplifies these risks, prioritizing profits over students.
Impact on Tribal and Indigenous Education: The Department of Education plays a critical role in supporting schools serving Native American communities. Your alignment with groups that advocate for federal funding cuts risks devastating already under-resourced tribal schools, particularly in states like Texas (Red State) and Oklahoma (Red State), perpetuating cycles of inequality and neglect.
In a particularly cruel twist, it is the red-state voters—those continually duped by hollow Republican platitudes and fearmongering—who will suffer the most, watching their schools crumble while their elected leaders line the pockets of their donors. They’ll see their schools stripped of funding, their children’s futures dimmed, and their communities abandoned—all for the sake of a Republican agenda that values corporate donors and ideological conformity over actual Americans.
Resistance Is Mandatory
Ms. McMahon, your nomination isn’t just an insult to American democracy—it’s a deliberate betrayal, a Trojan horse sent to dismantle the very foundation of equal opportunity through education.
Your policies will meet resistance at every turn—from educators, parents, students, and anyone who values knowledge over ignorance and inclusion over exclusion.
You may aim to transform education into a battleground for ideological control, but we will strive to ensure that public education remains a beacon of enlightenment, inclusion, and empowerment—uplifting every child, regardless of their background, beliefs, or privilege.
Hoping the bell rings before the count of three on your nomination,
A Voice from the Back Row of the Classroom—Mersault
Post-Script
To Red-State Voters: Wake up! You’ve been played—again and again. The GOP has spent decades exploiting your fears, weaponizing your values, and stoking your anger while they dismantle the very resources your families and communities depend on. They don’t see you as partners in democracy—they see you as pawns in their power games. They don’t care about your struggles; they count on your gullibility. It’s time to stop falling for the same tired lies, the same hollow promises, and demand leaders who fight for your children, your schools, and your family’s future—not for corporate donors and extremist agendas.
Post-Post-Script
To Sane Readers: Your local school board elections might not make headlines, but they’re where the battle for public education is being fought—and often lost. Groups like Moms for Liberty, Ziklag, and other Christian nationalist extremists are on a mission to rewrite history, suppress critical thinking, and turn classrooms into pulpits for their ideology. Don’t let them win by default. Pay attention. Get involved. Run for the Board of Education yourself if you can. And if you’re looking for guidance, I’ve written several articles on this topic. Subscribe and check out my archive—because knowledge is the first step to action.
If you enjoyed this article, please share, subscribe (a paid subscription would be incredible!), and tap the Buy Me a Coffee button ☕. Your support keeps me fueled to call out the corrupt and complicit.
Cartoon at the top of this article by Clay Jones of Claytoonz. Check out more of his work on Substack!
Readings for This Article
Books
"Democracy in Chains" by Nancy MacLean, 2017
"The Battle for America’s Schools" by Diane Ravitch, 2020
"Jesus and John Wayne" by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, 2020
Articles
"How Title I Funding Helps Low-Income Students" by The Urban Institute, 2022
"Why Head Start Matters for Rural and Low-Income Families" by Brookings Institution, 2023
"Trump’s Push for Patriotic Education" by The New York Times, 2020
"The Danger of Patriotic Education" by The Atlantic, 2020
"Moms for Liberty and the Takeover of School Boards" by NBC News, 2023
"How Moms for Liberty is Targeting School Curricula" by The Guardian, 2023
"How Christian Nationalism is Reshaping School Boards" by The Washington Post, 2023
"Ziklag’s Crusade Against Secular Education" by Religion Dispatches, 2023
"The Right’s Plan to Remake America" by The Guardian, 2023
"The Charter School Grift" by ProPublica, 2022
"How Voucher Programs Hurt Public Education" by The Brookings Institution, 2021
"Why Rural Schools are in Crisis" by The Hechinger Report, 2022
"Florida’s New Curriculum Laws Stifle Teacher Autonomy" by Education Week, 2023
Well why not. They been trying to run kids out of public education for what 20 years now and the little assholes just keep showing up. Tried that other idiot with the seven yaghts and she couldn’t do it. So maybe this one can get the little idiots to quit. I mean how the hell are we going to have a third world shithole country if these little bastards keep going to school. I mean really. We got our charter schools and our private schools. Boarding schools. What the hell we need to educate these people for. Take them down there and show them what them migrants were doing. Who cares whether they like it or not. We can find a country to ship them to, too!
And I thought Betsy DeVos was a terrible choice for education secretary. Did not think one could sink lower than that. McMahon’s nomination blew that assumption straight out of the water.