WASHINGTON (dpa)

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said he chose co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Linda McMahon to become the next US secretary of education.

McMahon, who served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 during Trump's first term in office, is currently co-chair of his team preparing for the Republican's inauguration in January.

Trump said McMahon would "fight tirelessly" to empower parents to make the best education decisions for their families.

"Linda will use her decades of leadership experience, and deep understanding of both education and business, to empower the next generation of American students and workers, and make America number one in education in the world. We will send education back to the States, and Linda will spearhead that effort."

Together with her husband Vince, McMahon built the WWE Wrestling League. She was also WWE boss for a time, but then she went into politics and tried unsuccessfully to be elected to the US Senate.