President-elect Donald Trump says he is naming former Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy as his nominee for transportation secretary, as he continues to roll out picks for his cabinet.
Duffy is a former reality TV star who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news, a prime concern for the media-focused president-elect.
Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, was a member of the Financial Services Committee and chairman of the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019, and is co-host of The Bottom Line on Fox Business.
In his announcement, Trump noted that Duffy is married to a Fox News host, calling him “the husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox News”.
Duffy is so far the second Fox-affiliated TV host that Trump has named to his cabinet. Trump last week announced his choice of Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defence secretary.
Trump said Duffy would use his experience and relationships built over the years in Congress “to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!”.
Duffy in 2022 ruled out a run for Wisconsin governor despite pleas from Trump to make a bid, saying he needed to care for his nine children, including his youngest child who had a heart condition.
He is a former lumberjack athlete and frequent Fox News contributor. He was featured on MTV’s The Real World: Boston in 1997. He met his wife on the set of MTV’s Road Rules: All Stars in 1998.
A reality TV background before politics is not unusual in Trump's world. The former president launched his political career after his hit reality show The Apprentice.
Duffy, after his time on reality TV, worked as a special prosecutor and Ashland County district attorney. He won election to Congress as part of a tea party wave in 2010.
When he first ran for office, Duffy was largely considered an underdog but attracted national attention for his campaign ads, in which he donned a red flannel shirt and chopped trees. He told voters he came from a “long line of lumberjacks” and would bring his axe to Washington.
He served until resigning in 2019.
The Transportation Department oversees the nation’s complex transportation system, including pipelines, railroads, cars, trucks, the airlines and mass transit systems as well as federal funding for highways.
If confirmed, Duffy would take over at a time of tremendous change, especially on the nation’s highways.
Traffic deaths remain near record highs at a time when new technologies are being introduced that could help make the roads safer.
Multiple companies are deploying autonomous robo-taxis and even driverless semis with no specific federal regulations. And the nascent move from petrol to electric vehicles presents safety problems of its own, especially with battery fires that can be difficult to extinguish.
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 airline industry through the Federal Aviation Administration, which is grappling with a shortage of air traffic controllers to ensure the safe and orderly flow of air travel.
Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, said the association was “thrilled” by the choice of Duffy.
“Congressman Duffy has a proven track record for getting things done, and we are eager to collaborate with him on key issues impacting the US airline industry," Calio said.
Trump has criticised electric vehicles as expensive and unreliable and called President Joe Biden’s policy to promote them “lunacy".
He also has said EV manufacturing will destroy auto industry jobs and has falsely claimed that battery-powered cars don’t work in cold weather and are unable to travel long distances.
Trump has softened his rhetoric about electric vehicles in recent months after Musk endorsed him and campaigned heavily for his election.
