U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks at Yale University

NEW HAVEN — U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon took the stage at Yale University Thursday night for what was her first day of Connecticut school visits since taking the job as the nation’s education chief. 

McMahon, President Donald Trump’s pick for leading the U.S. Department of Education, spoke at Yale’s Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall at 7 p.m. for a discussion titled “The Roadmap for Restoring American Education.” Earlier in the day, the U.S. Department of Education said she toured Lincoln Technical Institute in Shelton to see its nursing, HVAC and electrical programs.

“What a great audience … such a nice warm welcome,” McMahon said after taking the stage Thursday evening. She sat alongside Tori Cook, student president of the Buckley Institute, who introduced McMahon to the crowd of students and community members.

McMahon was invited to speak at the Yale event hosted by the William F. Buckley, Jr. Program, a registered student organization at Yale College and the event’s sponsor, a spokesperson for the university said in a statement to CT Insider.

The talk, moderated by Cook, jumped from various topics, covering everything from artificial intelligence to free speech to federal funding.

The former wrestling executive who ran the Small Business Administration in the first Trump administration and also served a brief stint on the state Board of Education. Both Fairfield and Thomaston school districts had canceled McMahon-linked events in recent months.

While she did not mention either school district by name, McMahon took time during the talk to respond to the cancellations of her History Rocks! events.

“I just think it’s a lack of knowledge about what these tours are about,” she said. She described the events as “feel good programs,” with assemblies full of fun questions, competitions and games.

“Nothing that’s partisan at all … just fun,” she said. “The kids really get into it, and I can’t imagine how it’s a partisan activity.”

Trump’s name sparsely came up during the discussion, but McMahon’s talking points on Thursday mirrored those that she and the president have long pushed, including the dismantling of the Department of Education, and what that meant to her.

“It’s not to shut down education, it’s to shut down the bureaucracy of education,” McMahon said.

She said she wanted the department to focus less of formula funding and more on block grant funding, so each state could choose where their dollars go.

“Good states, good governors, are going to do a good job with it. Some states are going to be better at it than others, but the federal government should not try and dictate this from Washington,” McMahon said. “The rules and regulations… they’re too burdensome.”

McMahon was hosted by the conservative group the Buckley Institute, which has a track record of hosting prominent figures from Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro.

“Yale is committed to a diverse and respectful community where free expression is a fundamental value,” said the Yale spokesperson, who included a link to the university’s guidelines on free expression and peaceable assembly. “The university promotes free expression on campus by permitting peaceful talks, vigils, rallies, and protests that adhere to university policy.”

The Thursday event was advertised as a discussion about “how the Trump Administration seeks to correct the department’s scope, root out divisive DEI and gender ideologies, and get American universities back on track.”

Suraj Shah, a Yale freshman and Buckley Institute fellow, said before walking into the event he was looking forward to hearing McMahon speak.

“We think of the Ivies as this super left liberal space. And I think Buckley does the important job of bringing intellectual diversity here, even if you don’t necessarily agree with all their viewpoints,” he said.

“I’m very curious to see what Linda McMahon has to say,” said John Tubis, of North Haven, before walking in.

Tubis said over the years, he has met McMahon and her family.

He said he doesn’t expect much and he’s not a Trump supporter.

“So I may be out of place with these people,” Tubis said. “I’m here to listen. I want to go in there with an open mind and see what they have to say.”

A running theme of the night was free speech and open debate, with Cook giving a disclaimer about Yale’s free speech policies to the audience before McMahon even arrived on stage.

“Universities should be the place for open debate,” McMahon said. Addressing the students in the crowd, she said they have a right to disagree with their professors and their peers and share their opinions, and also said that listening to other points of view was important.

School choice was also a key focus throughout the talk, and McMahon expressed her support for the federal school choice tax credit included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“We need all kinds of schools, I am a great advocate for all schools,” McMahon said.

When asked about some of the issues in the current education system, McMahon criticized low test scores and how “kids can’t read,” saying that she has made literacy her number one priority during her tenure as education secretary.

In addition, McMahon called for a greater focus on and more support for alternative pathways for students, such as workforce readiness and apprenticeship programs, and not just the traditional 4-year degree path.

The audience applauded for McMahon at the conclusion of the talk, which lasted around 45 minutes.

There were about 250 people in attendance for McMahon’s talk Thursday night. For some Yale students in attendance, they said the draw of the event was simply curiosity.

“For me personally, I’m very left leaning, and I kind of just came here to kind of get, like, the fuller perspective of the national view of education currently,” said Yale freshman Catrina Chen.

Meriden resident Gwen Samuel said she came to the event to show her support for McMahon, especially after her other visits had been canceled.
“I wanted her to know that she is welcome in Connecticut,” Samuel said.

Not all reactions to McMahon’s visit were as positive, however. New Haven city leaders criticized McMahon’s tenure leading the Education Department when they found out about her appearance at Yale.

Across the state, McMahon has also come under fire from Democratic lawmakers, teachers and education advocates over her efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education — one of Trump’s campaign promises.

McMahon’s planned visit to a Fairfield elementary school in January was canceled after backlash from parents, and Thomaston High School backtracked on hosting her last month, citing safety concerns.

Both events in Fairfield and Thomaston were intended to be part of the Education Department’s nationwide “History Rocks!” tour celebrating America’s 250th anniversary — but disgruntled parents and community members had called out the tour’s ties to major Trump-aligned groups, such as Turning Point USA, co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

Thursday’s event was different, with a distinct political focus.

“American education is in need of significant reform,” the event description reads. “Federal overreach and dangerous ideologies are smothering our nation’s classrooms, from kindergarten to the highest professional levels.”

Clarification: This story has been clarified, based on updated information provided by Yale, to say The William F. Buckley Jr. Program is a registered student organization at Yale College.