What Pro Wrestling Taught Linda McMahon About Politics

The New Yorker staff writer Zach Helfand joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss his Profile of Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education. They talk about the sweeping layoffs and downsizing at the Department of Education during Donald Trump’s second term—a fulfillment of a long-standing conservative effort to dismantle the agency—and the consequences for students and schools that rely on its services. They also explore how McMahon’s tenure as C.E.O. of World Wrestling Entertainment set her up to be one of Trump’s most reliable and effective Cabinet members, across both his terms—and why the President has long been drawn to McMahon, her husband, Vince, and the world of professional wrestling.

This week’s reading:

• “How Professional Wrestling Prepared Linda McMahon for Trump’s Cabinet,” by Zach Helfand
• “J. D. Vance’s Bumpy Ride,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin
• “Donald Trump’s Triumphal Arch and the Architecture of Autocracy,” by Adam Gopnik
• “What Nicolás Maduro’s Life Is Like in a Notorious Brooklyn Jail,” by Diego Lasarte

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 

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