WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) 鈥� President-elect said Monday he is naming former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee for transportation secretary, as he continues to roll out .
Duffy is a former reality TV star who was one of Trump鈥檚 most visible defenders on cable news 鈥� 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 鈥淭he Bottom Line鈥� on Fox Business.
In his announcement, Trump noted that Duffy is married to a Fox 撸奶社区 host, calling him 鈥渢he husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox 撸奶社区.鈥�
A spokesperson for Fox 撸奶社区 Media wished Duffy "the best of luck in his return to Washington" and said he left the company Monday.
Duffy is so far the second Fox-affiliated television host that Trump has named to his Cabinet. Trump his choice of Fox 撸奶社区 host Pete Hegseth .
Trump said Duffy would use his experience and relationships built over the years in Congress 鈥渢o maintain and rebuild our Nation鈥檚 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!鈥�
Duffy in 2022 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 撸奶社区 contributor. He was featured on MTV鈥檚 鈥淭he Real World: Boston鈥� in 1997. He met his wife on the set of MTV鈥檚 鈥淩oad Rules: All Stars鈥� in 1998.
A reality television background before politics is not unusual in Trump's world. The former president launched his political career after his hit reality show, 鈥� ,鈥�
Duffy, after his time on reality television, 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 鈥渓ong line of lumberjacks鈥� and would bring his axe to Washington.
He served until resigning in 2019.
The Transportation Department oversees the nation鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 robotaxis and even driverless semis with no specific federal regulations. And the nascent move from gasoline 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鈥檚 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 鈥渢hrilled鈥� by the choice of Duffy.
鈥淐ongressman Duffy has a proven track record for getting things done, and we are eager to collaborate with him on key issues impacting the U.S. airline industry," Calio said.
Trump has criticized electric vehicles as expensive and unreliable and called President Joe Biden鈥檚 policy to promote them 鈥渓unacy. He also has said EV manufacturing will destroy auto industry jobs and has falsely claimed that battery-powered cars don鈥檛 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.
Even so, industry officials expect Trump to try to slow a shift to electric cars, and a tax credit for EV purchases is reportedly among those the Trump administration may seek to eliminate next year.
Trump, in his statement, said Duffy would 鈥減rioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America鈥檚 highways, tunnels, bridges and airports.鈥� Trump, as he campaigned for the White House, would sometimes complain about the state of air travel in particular, lamenting that the nation鈥檚 鈥渙nce-revered airports鈥� are a 鈥渄irty, crowded mess.鈥�
Duffy, Trump said Monday, 鈥渨ill make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.鈥� DEI refers to 鈥渄iversity, equity and inclusion鈥� programs.
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Price reported from New York and Superville reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Amanda Seitz in Washington, Tom Krisher in Detroit and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.
Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price And Darlene Superville, The Associated Press
