Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy called his former Senate opponent in Connecticut and Donald Trump's pick to lead the Small Business Administration, Linda McMahon, "unquestionably qualified" for the job during an appearance Thursday on MSNBC's Morning Joe.
McMahon, a Republican, and Murphy squared off in the 2012 election for an open Senate seat in Connecticut, which Murphy ultimately won. The Democratic lawmaker stopped by Morning Joe to discuss President-elect Trump's recent Cabinet picks and his decision Wednesday to nominate McMahon to head the Small Business Administration in his administration.
McMahon is known for being a co-founder of the WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. The company currently has a market value of approximately $1.5 billion.
"From the outside, people can laugh about the business she and her family runs, but in fact you and I know that it actually employs probably close to 1,000 people and brings a lot of money to the state of Connecticut," host Joe Scarborough said to Murphy.
Scarborough then asked Murphy to talk about "the Linda McMahon you know" and whether or not she is "capable" of handling her new position.
Murphy joked that McMahon was not very nice to him in 2012 when they were running against each other in the Senate race but that he has since forgiven her. He then touted her credentials to head the SBA.
"She is unquestionably qualified for this job," Murphy said. "She turned a small business into a big multi-national business, which is what a lot of small businesses want to become."