Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is defending a YouTube reality series featuring his family's cross-country journey as critics pile on, arguing the project is tone-deaf when gas prices have surged and families are struggling with inflation.
The five-part show, titled "The Great American Road Trip," chronicles Duffy, his wife Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, and their nine children traveling the country to mark America's 250th anniversary. The couple, who met on MTV's "Road Rules: All Stars," are returning to their reality TV roots with a project that includes a sit-down with President Donald Trump.
Duffy cast the venture as patriotic in the show's trailer: "To love America is to see America." He framed it as more than entertainment, calling it a "civic experience" and "one of the most powerful ways to understand the vast, beautiful, complicated place we call home."
The backlash was swift. Fuel prices have climbed above $4.50 per gallon, roughly 50% higher since late February when the U.S. entered a military conflict with Iran. One YouTube commenter likened the venture to "going on a foodie tour during the Great Depression." Another took aim at both the Duffys and the show's sponsors: "Americans are struggling to afford gas and groceries but these two reality tv and Fox News stars are treated to free trips with celebrity visits and a cruise."
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined the criticism, posting on X that the project represented a stark disconnect from ordinary Americans' reality. "I love a good road trip, but this is brutally out of touch: a Trump Cabinet member making a documentary about himself while regular families can't afford road trips anymore, because Trump and his war put gas prices through the roof," he wrote.
Governors including California's Gavin Newsom and Illinois's JB Pritzker added their voices, with Newsom pointing to multiple air travel accidents occurring "on [Duffy's] watch" while filming proceeded.
Duffy's team mounted a defense on multiple fronts. A Transportation Department spokesperson told NBC News that Democrats criticizing gas prices "should sit this one out," listing policies they blamed for earlier price increases. Duffy himself stated on social media that production costs were covered by a nonprofit, The Great American Road Trip Inc., with no taxpayer dollars used and no salary or royalties flowing to him or his family.
Rachel Campos-Duffy disputed the scope of the time commitment, countering criticism from Chasten Glezman Buttigieg by saying filming involved "small one and two day stops." This came after Duffy told Fox News he spent seven months on the project, a disclosure that intensified questions about his focus on departmental duties.
A more serious concern emerged around corporate sponsorship. Boeing, Toyota, Shell, Royal Caribbean Group, and United Airlines all backed the show, all companies regulated by Duffy's Transportation Department. The potential conflict drew immediate scrutiny. Toyota defended its support as part of celebrating American history and exploration. Boeing, Shell, Royal Caribbean, and United did not respond to requests for comment.
The Transportation Department told NBC News that The Great American Road Trip Inc. operates independently and controls its own fundraising decisions. The nonprofit itself did not respond to inquiries.
In a combative post, Duffy accused the "radical, miserable left" of opposing the project because they don't want Americans celebrating their country or teaching children civics and patriotism. He claimed ethics and budget officials at the Transportation Department had reviewed and approved his participation and travel in line with federal rules, and boasted that under his leadership the department had become "the most responsive, productive, and transformational in its history."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The timing here is genuinely awful, and the corporate sponsor list is a red flag nobody should ignore."
Comments