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DEC. 7, 2016, 3:50 P.M.
Trump chooses former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon to head Small Business Administration
Mark Z. Barabak
Linda McMahon, who co-founded the World Wrestling Entertainment franchise and spent a fortune on two unsuccessful runs for the U.S. Senate, was named Wednesday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Small Business Administration.
"Linda is going to be a phenomenal leader and champion for small businesses and unleash America's entrepreneurial spirit all across the country," Trump said in a statement announcing McMahon’s selection.
In her own statement, McMahon cited her entrepreneurial background, saying it taught her the challenges faced by small-business owners.
Along with her husband, Vincent, McMahon founded and built World Wrestling Entertainment, known worldwide for its quasi-sporting spectacles.
"As an entrepreneur myself, I have shared the experiences of our nation's small-business owners and will do my best to advocate on their behalf," McMahon said. "My husband and I built our business from scratch, building it to a publicly traded global enterprise with more than 800 employees."
The McMahons have known Trump for decades, and he has participated in several WWE-sponsored events, including a 2007 "Battle of the Billionaires," during which Vincent McMahon was lashed to a chair as Trump shaved McMahon's head.
Linda McMahon stepped down as the company's chief executive officer in 2009 and twice ran for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut, spending $100 million on her unsuccessful campaigns.
Trump wasn't McMahon's first choice for president. She initially backed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, but told the Associated Press in September that she maintained a friendly relationship with Trump and believed he would make a good president.
McMahon, a major GOP donor, gave $6 million to a pro-Trump super PAC in August and September.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-trump-pins-down-former-world-wrestling-1481149945-htmlstory.html