Trump's Trials - Transportation Secretary Duffy filmed a reality show, funded by firms he regulates

Episode Date: May 13, 2026

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has returned to his reality television roots, filming a cross-country road trip with his family that will be released ahead of America's 250th birthday in July. NPR's Rachel Treisman reports. Check out the digital story at https://www.npr.org/2026/05/12/nx-s1-5818190/sean-duffy-road-trip-reality-show-sponsors  Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It's Trump's terms from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow. Every episode, we bring you a story from NPR's recent coverage of the 47th president, with a focus on ways he's using power like no president before him. Here is the latest from NPR. From NPR News, I'm Michelle Martin. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy filmed a reality TV road trip with his family while on the job. It was sponsored by companies that Duffy's agency regulates.

And Pairs Rachel Treisman reports on the ethical questions that raises. The Great American Road Trip follows Duffy, his wife, and their nine children on a cross-country journey that he calls a civic experience. It's one of the most powerful ways to understand the vast, beautiful, complicated place we call home. The trailer released Friday shows the family riding snowmobiles, admiring the Liberty Bell, and visiting the Boston House where Duffy filmed a season of MTV's The Real World in 1997. He met his wife, Rachel Campos Duffy, on Road Rules All-Stars the following year. Campos Duffy told Fox and Friends last week that they had the idea to document a family road trip after President Trump tasked cabinet members with celebrating America's 250th birthday. We're like, let's go back to our roots.

Let's just, you know, let's do this one for free. We'll put it onto YouTube. We'll let the whole country see it. Duffy says they filmed the series in one or two-day windows over a seven-month period. A Department of Transportation spokesperson told NPR that Duffy did work along the way, like visiting air traffic control towers. After critics raised questions, Duffy said no taxpayer money was spent on his family. But that's concerning to Donald Sherman, president of the watchdog organization,

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or crew. If he's saying that this is a work project or that he did work on the project, then taxpayer funds should be paying for it. Instead, Duffy says, production costs were covered by a nonprofit called the Great American Road Trip Incorporated. Its website lists over a dozen corporate sponsors, most of which are in the travel industry and subject to Department of Transportation Oversight. They include Toyota, Boeing, Shell, and Royal Caribbean. Here's Sherman. This nonprofit appears to be a vehicle for industry to get access to and potentially influence the Secretary of Transportation.

who oversees their industry. His organization has asked the Department of Transportation's Independent Office of Inspector General to investigate whether Duffy's show violated any federal ethics rules. Duffy says career ethics and budget officials approved his travels in accordance with federal rules. And on Fox and Friends, he indirectly addressed another criticism that the war in Iran has raised gas prices too high for other families to hit the road too. You could go for two hours. You could drive for two days.

You could do a day trip. It fits any budget. There's no confirmed release date for the five-part series, though Duffy told Fox and Friends episodes will drop in June. Rachel Treesman, NPR News. And before we wrap up, a thank you to our NPR Plus supporters who hear each show without sponsored messages, and, of course, who help protect independent journalism.

If you are not a supporter yet, you can visit plus.npr.org to find out how you can get a ton of podcast perks across dozens of NPR shows, like bonus episodes, exclusive merchandise, and more. Again, that's plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR.