Trump Picks Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon To Head SBA

(RTTNews) - President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday he intends to nominate former professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon to serve as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE) CEO and Republican Senate candidate, currently runs a mentoring company called Women's Leadership LIVE.

In a statement, Trump said McMahon is widely recognized as one of the country's top female executives advising businesses around the globe.

"She helped grow WWE from a modest 13-person operation to a publicly traded global enterprise with more than 800 employees in offices worldwide," Trump said.

He added, "Linda is going to be a phenomenal leader and champion for small businesses and unleash America's entrepreneurial spirit all across the country."

McMahon said she is honored to join the incredibly impressive economic team that Trump has assembled.

While McMahon initially backed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, she later gave $6 million to a pro-Trump super PAC.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who defeated McMahon in the Connecticut Senate race in 2010, told CNN he would likely vote to confirm her nomination, calling her a reasonable voice in Trump's economic team.

McMahon joins several other women Trump has tapped for his administration, including Elaine Chao as Transportation Secretary, Nikki Haley as U.N. Ambassador, Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary, and Seema Verma as CMS Administrator.