Linda McMahon is planning to step down from leading the Small Business Administration to help raise money for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, according to people familiar with the matter.
McMahon, co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., will join the America First political organization that backs Trump’s agenda, the people said. She was asked to join the organization because of concern that its super-political action committee isn’t raising enough money and that the group lacked a leader with the president’s full trust and clout in the donor world, they said.
McMahon’s departure comes as Trump is starting to shift into re-election mode and Democratic challengers are becoming more aggressive in fundraising and laying the groundwork for their campaigns.
McMahon donated more than $6 million to Trump’s 2016 campaign, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission data by the Center for Public Integrity. She stepped down as chief executive officer of WWE in 2009 and later twice ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut.
Politico reported McMahon’s plan to depart the government earlier on Friday.
