United Airlines, Boeing, and other companies regulated by the Department of Transportation paid to create a reality TV show about DOT Secretary Sean Duffy’s family.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, his wife Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, and kids star in a new reality series The Great American Road Trip which will be released to YouTube next month, following them on a journey tied to America’s 250th birthday.
It’s produced by the company behind MTV’s The Real World. Sean Duffy was on “The Real World: Boston” and Rachel Campos-Duffy was on “The Real World: San Francisco.” They met filming “Road Rules: All Stars.”
The show was filmed “over the course of seven months,” while he was serving in the Trump cabinet, following Duffy’s family beginning with the Oval Office first with President Trump giving the family a send-off.
They go Montana snowmobiling, take a Mississippi River cruise in St. Louis, visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and the Boston firehouse where Duffy lived during The Real World: Boston. There’s a Nashville stop at Kid Rock’s home. DOT says it’s meant to get Americans exploring highways, byways, historic landmarks, and scenic destinations across all 50 states.
Sean Duffy reveals he spent 7 months making a reality TV show while serving as Transportation Secretary pic.twitter.com/3PbQmPKrhV
— FactPost (@factpostnews) May 8, 2026
Duffy was initially just being criticized for taking the time to do this, such as by former DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s husband. And my first thought was that I actually didn’t have a problem with it. I was critical of Duffy’s selection for the role in the first place. Like Buttigieg, he lacked a background in transportation issues. But he’s been a better DOT Secretary than I expected. And he’s apparently the one who saved us from bailing out Spirit – and JetBlue, Frontier and Avelo as well.
However, funding for this effort is… problematic… United Airlines? Boeing? Toyota?
Travel industries regulated by the Department of Transportation are funding a road trip reality show for the (former reality star) Secretary of Transportation??? pic.twitter.com/3m55RJQlth
— David Dayen (@ddayen) May 8, 2026
Duffy isn’t being paid for this. The cost of accomplishing something he wanted to do is being covered, and he’s getting exposure. Meanwhile, these companies aren’t writing checks to Duffy. They’re writing checks to a non-profit that pays the cost of Duffy’s show.
The Department of Transportation regulates airline safety. They decide where to put air traffic control resources. They hand out slots at congested airports. They approve antitrust immunity for joint ventures with foreign carriers. They enforce consumer protection (or don’t).
United gave $1 million to the President’s inauguration. CEO Scott Kirby went on Katie Miller’s podcast – she’s married to Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff. It was a remarkable transformation for what was once seen as the most ‘woke’ U.S. airline. Kirby pitched President Trump on United buying American Airlines. It’s unlikely that United would have an interest in promoting road trips as an alternative to flying.
The American Bus Association? Sure, they want to see Americans traveling by road. They also have an interest in DOT regulation of buses.
Boeing has certification for the MAX 7 and MAX 10 aircraft upcoming with the FAA. They want the FAA to allow them to increase prodction of 737 MAXs from 42 to 47 per month and beyond. 777X planes will come up for certification, and the agency is gradually returning self-certification authority to the airframe manufacturer.
Toyota of course cares about CAFE fuel economy standards, DOT challenges to California EV mandates, and other vehicle rules.
Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, GM, and Brightline have donated to Duffy’s son-in-law’s congressional campaign – no doubt because of how strong a champion for transportation this political neophyte would be (and his relationship to their regulator is purely coincidental). He’s not even the Republican nominee for the seat yet.
Fatty, is this your first time living in America? I didn’t realise you were new to the country. This is how things work in D.C. and have for a long time now. There is nothing unique about transportation in that regard. It might be the flavour of the month due to the Spirit and other recent news, but, again, no different than any other pay-to-play events in D.C. It is smart business to be frank. I see it in multiple industries.
This is a drop in the bucket compared to over 2/3 of the members of Congress and Senate getting their coffers filled by big pharma.