The president-elect announced Tuesday, November 19, the arrival in his administration of two new people close to controversial positions: Linda McMahon and Doctor Mehmet Oz.
Two new portraits which feature prominently in the gallery of horrors of the new Trump administration. After that of Howard Lutnick a little earlier in the day, the Republican president-elect announced Tuesday evening, November 19, two surprising new appointments, drawing from among the most loyal within his inner circle: the former boss of the wrestling federation WWE, Linda McMahon, will become Minister of Education, while media surgeon Dr Mehmet Oz will occupy a key position in Health.
“As Minister of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly” to offer more freedom of education to each American state and “empowering parents to make the best education decisions for their family”Donald Trump said in a statement. “We will BRING EDUCATION BACK TO THE STATES and Linda will spearhead this effort”promised Donald Trump. The subject of education particularly divides American states between those led by Democrats and those held by the most conservatives, the latter fiercely opposing issues related to the rights of women, minorities or even LGBT + communities.
A 76-year-old businesswoman, Linda McMahon was between 2017 and 2019 minister responsible for small businesses during the Republican's first term. She is part of his bodyguard, being one of the co-leaders of the power transition team. He was named Commerce Secretary on Monday. Not hesitating to speak of Donald Trump as “a friend”Linda McMahon is a major donor to the Republican Party, providing financial support to the candidacy of Donald Trump in 2016, first for his primary and then in the race for the White House.
She is married to Vince McMahon, the heir to WWE, a wrestling empire founded in the 1950s. Linda McMahon became president in 1993 and general manager in 1997, before resigning in 2009 to try her luck in politics . Her husband remained at the head of the company until last January, finally being forced to resign after a former employee filed a complaint against him for sexual assault.
Talk show, hydroxychloroquine and health insurance
At the same time, Donald Trump announced that he had chosen Doctor Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The star surgeon, who has long had his own talk show with a large audience, defender of hydroxychloroquine on Fox News and wealthy long-time friend of the future head of state, will find himself at the head of a major agency in the United States, whose annual budget reaches 2,600 billion dollars (around 2,400 billion euros).
Donald Trump, who had already supported the unsuccessful candidacy of Mehmet Oz for the Senate in 2022, clarified that he will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has just been at the head of the equivalent Ministry of Health . In a message published on the social network “serve [son] country to make America healthy again under the leadership of » Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
According to their future president, this duo's mission will be to tackle the “chronic disease industrial complex” and to fight against persistent pathologies, as well as against waste and fraud. “Our dysfunctional health care system is harming ordinary Americans and crushing our nation's budget”said Donald Trump in a press release.
Dubbed in the 2000s by the popess of American television Oprah Winfrey, who invited him as an expert on her set, he had his own show for more than ten years, “Dr. Oz Show,” which made him a celebrity. This son of Turkish immigrants even has his star on the famous “Walk of Fame” in Hollywood.
But its health recommendations, sometimes punctuated with qualifiers like “magic” or «miracle», earned him criticism from colleagues. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Doctor Oz became a recurring figure on the sets of the conservative channel Fox News, on which he notably defended hydroxychloroquine, also supported by Donald Trump. The surgeon also attacked the health policies of the Biden administration, in particular the obligation to wear a mask, accusing them of not being based on reliable scientific data.
In 2020, in a column published by Forbes then in his TV show, the caregiver spoke out in favor of extending supplementary health benefits. Following this commitment, the stock market shares of the main American health insurers increased significantly.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), soon to be headed by Mehmet Oz, manage the federal health insurance programs Medicare – for the elderly and disabled – and Medicaid – for those with low incomes, covering more than 140 million Americans. . They also intervene in Obamacare, universal health insurance. Donald Trump has previously tried to repeal this law, but now says he only wants to reform it.
