Josephine Riesman
Appearances
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
Which is the classic Linda Dodge. I mean, I've been following Linda's stuff for a while, and that's how she operates. She smiles and says, well, I don't really have an answer to that question, but I look forward to working with you.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
Oh, this has been great. I thank both of you. I've learned a lot today, so thank you.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
No, she's kept a lower profile. You're absolutely right.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
Well, it's funny. Linda McMahon doesn't really want you to know anything about Linda McMahon. That has been true for a long time. From what I could glean in my research, this is not a woman who opens up to virtually anyone. When she speaks, as you can see at the confirmation hearings, she uses sort of these kindly buzzwords that dance around what she's actually saying.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
And from the best I can tell, based on her actions, what really seems to motivate this woman who grew up as a upper middle class girl in New Bern, North Carolina, is the dream of just security, wealth and power. It's kind of boring, unlike, say, Pete Hegseth or any number of other bombastic personalities who Trump has nominated for key cabinet positions.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
Linda has long been a master of this mask, this mask of I'm a kindly grandmother. who wants to be nice to you. I'll be a mother figure. I'm a good administrator. I run business as well. When in reality, the fact is she's the hatchet woman and will do what Trump, who she's known since 1981, tells her to do. Hmm.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
I mean... According to Linda, the Trumps and the McMahons first met at a Rolling Stones concert in New Jersey in 1981.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
It's possibly the most boomer thing you can imagine.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
But even in the 80s, he was hosting, quote unquote, WrestleManias.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
There are two people he gets everyone out of the room so he can have a confidential conversation with.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
But at least as of the first Trump term, there were two people in the world that Trump would take personal phone calls from and kick everybody else out of the room so he could talk to them in private. Usually Trump likes putting people on speaker. It doesn't matter if it's like the chancellor of Germany. or a pro golfer he knew.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
He likes to showboat, but there are two people he gets everyone out of the room so he can have a confidential conversation with. One is Mark Burnett, the producer of The Apprentice, and the other is Vince McMahon.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
Right. So Mark Calloway, the man who used to wrestle as the famous wrestler The Undertaker – He has a podcast, and he is a Republican, and he had Trump on a few days before the election. If you watch it, you see Trump immediately turn the interview around and just ask Undertaker excited childlike questions about what pro wrestling is like.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
And he's had it. Because that's how much Donald Trump is obsessed with pro wrestling and has been since he was about nine years old. So that's interesting. But what you're talking about is at the end, the undertaker, Mark Calloway, he brings out his teenage daughter.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
They just say you need to protect Title IX. And Trump says, I'll do everything I can.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
And what they're really talking about is just Trying to exclude trans people from sports and public life.
It's Been a Minute
The WWE vs. the American education system
I don't know you that well, but you have great baby face energy. The crowd is behind you.