Former ‘Road Rules’ star, Fox Business host gets nom for head of Trump’s DOT

Another week, another Fox host getting nominated to serve on the U.S. cabinet.

Fox Business host Sean Duffy, whose resume includes being a lumberjack champion, reality TV star, attorney general and U.S. Congressman — but little in the way of dealing with federal transportation funding, infrastructure or policy — has been nominated by Donald Trump to serve as Secretary of Transportation. 

Duffy is also married to Rachel Campos-Duffy, another former reality start whom he met during “Road Rules: All Stars,” and Fox host.

Duffy served as a U.S. representative for Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019, before departing after his daughter was born with a birth defect. He eventually joined Fox, including host “The Bottom Line” for Fox Business Network.

While in Congress, Duffy served as on the House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprise, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit and Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity.

His most significant transportation-related accomplishment in government appears to be co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar to build a bridge over the St. Croix River, a major thoroughfare connecting Wisconsin and Minnesota.

“Road Rules: All Stars,” did include traveling in an RV across the U.S.. 

If confirmed, Duffy would be in charge of a massive budget that involves roads and cars, transportation infrastructure, railroads, air travel and more. This could also include the distribution of the remaining dollars in a $1 trillion infrastructure improvement fund created under Joe Biden’s administration. 

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So far, Duffy’s nomination does not appear to have sparked as much criticism as some of Trump’s other cabinet picks, including fellow former Fox host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. Like Duffy, Hegseth has only periphery experience in the area he’d be heading up and little to no experience with managing a massive government department.

Like Hegseth, Duffy has also exited Fox Business effective immediately. “The Bottom Line” will continue to air for now with co-host Dagen McDowell and a rotating cast of guest talent.

Like Duffy, Trump is also a former reality show co-star, appearing on NBC’s “The Apprentice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice.”

This show largely portrayed Trump as a wealthy, successful businessman helping groom a cast of people eager to make it big. It was later revealed that many of the on-air charitable donations Trump pledged did not occur and the show is credited with helping reshape Trump’s image after overseeing casino failures and the collapse of many other business ventures. 

If confirmed, Duffy will oversee agencies that have gone after Trump supporter and co-head of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” Elon Musk, including interactions with SpaceX and ongoing investigations into Tesla cars.