A.1. responds after Linda McMahon mistakes it with AI
FILE - Bottles of A.1. Sauce are stacked at a Costco Wholesale store on March 11, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
A sauce brand is taking advantage of the moment after a blunder last week involving Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
AI and A.1.
What happened:
Education Secretary Linda McMahon was speaking last week at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit, an annual gathering of education and learning leaders, when she mistakenly referred to AI (artificial intelligence) as A1 a number of times.
What they're saying:
The sauce brand A.1. got wind of the blunder and capitalized on the moment, posting on social media that "every school should have access to A.1."
McMahon referred to artificial intelligence correctly at first, asking, "AI development - how can we educate at the speed of light if we don’t have the best technology around to do that?"
But she confused it for A1 in the next couple of mentions.
She said she read about a school system that's going to start making sure that first graders, or even pre-Ks, have "A1" teaching every year. "That's a wonderful thing!" she said.
"Kids are sponges. They just absorb everything," she added. "It wasn't all that long ago that it was, 'We're going to have internet in our schools!' Whoop! Now let's see A1 and how can that be helpful? In one-on-one instruction, in absorbing more info for those fast learners."
"Agree, best to start them early," the sauce brand also joked in its post.
Who is Linda McMahon?
The backstory:
McMahon, 76, the former CEO of WWE, was confirmed by the US Senate to be the next Secretary of Education last month.
READ MORE: Senate confirms Linda McMahon: What this means for the Department of Education
WWE background:
McMahon is married to Vince McMahon, whose father was a prominent professional wrestling promoter. They followed him into the business, founding their own company that’s now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. It became a juggernaut in the industry and American culture.
Political background:
McMahon stepped down from her position as WWE’s chief executive to enter politics. She ran twice for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut, but lost in 2010 to Richard Blumenthal and in 2012 to Chris Murphy.
Shifting gears, she focused on providing financial support to candidates. McMahon provided $6 million to help Trump’s candidacy after he secured the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
What they're saying:
"When President Trump asked me about this job, I told him, I don’t come from the world of education. And he said, I’m looking for an executive. I’m looking for someone who has leadership and management skills because of what we need to do with education in our country," McMahon said during her same roundtable talk at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit.
Meanwhile:
Trump has ordered the dismantling of the Education Department, calling for the "return of authority" over education to the state and local level.
READ MORE: Trump plans executive order to dismantle Education Department—what it means
The Source: Information in this article was taken from public and streamed remarks from Linda McMahon on April 10 at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit, and an April 10 Instagram post from A.1. Original Sauce. Background information on McMahon and the Education Department was taken from previous FOX Television Station reportings and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.