Duffy’s Taxpayer-Funded Road Trip Reality Show Draws Backlash

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy faced backlash after revealing a seven‑month family road trip filmed for a reality show, The Great American Road Trip, reportedly funded by a nonprofit; critics say the move is tone‑deaf amid TSA staffing shortages during a partial government shutdown, a LaGuardia collision under federal investigation, and rising gas and jet fuel costs tied to Middle East tensions that have affected airlines like Spirit. Duffy says the trip used short one‑ and two‑day stops and was about loving America, while his wife defends the production as nonprofit‑funded; ethics questions have arisen over sponsors such as Boeing, and critics including Chasten Buttigieg have called the stunt unfocused and out of touch.