Trump picks Sean Duffy, Fox host and former Wisconsin congressman, for transportation secretary
President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he will name former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee for transportation secretary, continuing the rollout Picks for his cabinet.
Duffy is a former reality star and one of Trump’s most visible defenders on cable news – a top concern for the media-centric president-elect. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, serving as a member of the Financial Services Committee and chairman of the Insurance and Housing Subcommittee. He left Congress in 2019 and serves as co-host of Fox Business Channel’s “The Bottom Line.”
In his statement, Trump noted that Duffy is married to a Fox News host and called him “the husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is a star on Fox News.”
Duffy is the second Fox-affiliated television host Trump has named to his Cabinet so far. Trump announced choice of Fox News host last week Peter Heggs as his Secretary of Defense.
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Trump said Duffy will use the experience and relationships he has built over the years in Congress to “preserve and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and fulfill our mission of ushering in the Golden Age of Travel, with a focus on safety, efficiency and innovation. Important Yes, it will greatly enhance the travel experience for all Americans!”
Duffy has ruled out running for Wisconsin governor in 2022, despite Trump’s pleas for him to run, saying he needed to care for his nine children, including his youngest, who has a heart condition.
He is a former lumberjack and a frequent guest on Fox News. In 1997, he appeared on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston.” He met his wife in 1998 on the set of MTV’s “Road Rules: All Stars.”
In Trump’s world, it’s not unusual to have a background in reality TV before politics. The former president began his political career on the heels of his hit reality show “The Apprentice.”
After her time on the reality TV show, Duffy served as a special prosecutor and Ashland County district attorney. He won election to Congress in 2010 as part of the Tea Party wave.
When Duffy first ran for office, he was largely considered a loser, but he gained national attention with a campaign ad in which he wore a red flannel shirt and cut down trees. He told voters he came from “a long line of lumberjacks” and would bring his ax to Washington.
He served until his resignation in 2019.
The Department of Transportation oversees the nation’s complex transportation system, including pipelines, railroads, automobiles, trucks, airlines and mass transit systems as well as federal funding for highways.
If confirmed, Duffy would take over at a time of great change, particularly on the nation’s highways. Traffic fatalities remain near record highs New technologies are being introduced to help improve road safety. Several companies are deploying autonomous robotaxis and even driverless semi-trucks without specific federal regulations. The emerging trend away from gas-powered cars and toward electric vehicles also has its own safety concerns, especially when battery fire This can be difficult to put out.
The department includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates automakers including Elon Musk’s Tesla. The department sets fuel economy standards for cars and trucks and regulates the aviation industry through the Federal Aviation Administration, which is working to address a shortage of air traffic controllers to ensure safe and orderly air travel.
American Airlines President and CEO Nicholas Callio said the association was “thrilled” with Tamiflu’s selection.
“Congressman Duffy has a proven track record of getting things done, and we are eager to work with him on critical issues affecting the U.S. aviation industry,” Callio said.
Trump has criticized electric vehicles as expensive and unreliable and called President Joe Biden’s policies to promote them “crazy.” He also said electric car manufacturing would destroy auto industry jobs and falsely claimed battery-powered cars wouldn’t work in cold weather and wouldn’t be able to travel long distances.
Trump has softened his rhetoric on electric vehicles in recent months after Musk endorsed Trump. vigorously publicize for his election.
Even so, industry officials expect Trump will try to slow the shift to electric vehicles, with reports that the Trump administration may seek to eliminate tax credits for electric vehicle purchases next year.
Trump said in a statement that Duffy will “prioritize excellence, capability, competitiveness and beauty as we rebuild America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports.” Trump at times made a point of complaining about the state of air travel during his campaign for the White House, lamenting that America’s “once-venerable airports” were now “dirty, crowded messes.”
Trump said Monday that Tamiflu “will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.” DEI refers to “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs.
