WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump mentioned Monday he’ll nominate former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee for transportation secretary as he continues to roll out picks for his Cabinet.
Duffy is a former actuality TV star who has been one in all Trump’s most seen defenders on cable information — a serious concern for the media-focused president-elect. Duffy served within the House for almost 9 years, was a member of the Financial Services Committee and was chairman of the Subcommittee on Insurance and Housing. He left Congress in 2019 and now co-hosts a present on Fox Business, “The Bottom Line.”
In his announcement Monday, Trump famous that Duffy is married to a Fox News host, calling him “the husband of a beautiful girl, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR of Fox News.”
Duffy is to this point the second Fox-affiliated TV host to be appointed to a Cabinet submit in Trump’s new White House. Trump final week introduced that he would select Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be his protection secretary.
Trump mentioned Duffy will use his expertise and relationships constructed over years in Congress “to keep up and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and fulfill our mission to usher within the golden age of journey by specializing in security, effectivity and innovation. Importantly, it can tremendously enhance the journey expertise for all Americans!”
Duffy dominated out a 2022 run for governor of Wisconsin, regardless of Trump’s pleas for him to make a bid, saying he wanted time to handle the wants of his household of 9 kids, posting on social media that the his youngest son had a coronary heart downside.
He is a former lumberjack athlete and frequent Fox News contributor. He appeared on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in 1997. He met his future spouse on the set of MTV’s “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998.
A actuality tv backdrop earlier than politics shouldn’t be uncommon in Trump’s world. The former president launched his political profession after his hit actuality present, “The Apprentice,”
Duffy, after his stint on actuality TV, labored as a particular prosecutor and Ashland County district legal professional. He gained election to Congress as a part of a tea get together wave in 2010.
When he first ran for workplace, Duffy was broadly thought of a loser, however he attracted nationwide consideration for his marketing campaign adverts, wherein he wore a purple flannel shirt and trimmed bushes. He advised voters he got here from a “lengthy line of lumberjacks” and would take his ax to Washington.
He served till resigning in 2019.
The Department of Transportation oversees the nation’s complicated transportation system, together with pipelines, railroads, car, truck, and public transit techniques, in addition to federal funding for highways.
If confirmed, Duffy would take over the division at a time of large change, particularly on the nation’s highways. Road deaths stay close to document ranges at a time when new applied sciences are being launched that might assist make roads safer. Many corporations are deploying autonomous robotaxis and even driverless semi-trucks with out particular federal laws. And the nascent shift from gasoline to electrical autos presents questions of safety of its personal, particularly with battery fires that may be troublesome to extinguish.
The division contains the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates automakers, together with Elon Musk’s Tesla. The division units gasoline economic system requirements for automobiles and vans and regulates the airline trade by the Federal Aviation Administration, one in all its companies.
Trump has criticized electrical autos as costly and unreliable and known as President Joe Biden’s coverage of selling electrical autos “insanity.”
He additionally claimed that the manufacturing of electrical autos will destroy jobs within the auto trade and falsely claimed that battery-powered automobiles do not work in chilly climate and are not able to touring lengthy distances.
Trump has softened his rhetoric in current months after Musk endorsed him and campaigned closely for his election.
Nonetheless, trade officers anticipate Trump to attempt to sluggish the shift to electrical automobiles, and a tax credit score for electrical car purchases is reportedly amongst these the Trump administration could search to eradicate this 12 months subsequent.
Trump, in his assertion, mentioned Duffy “will prioritize excellence, experience, competitiveness and wonder in rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports.” Trump, whereas campaigning for the White House, at occasions lamented the state of air journey specifically, complaining that the nation’s “once-venerated airports” are a “soiled, crowded mess.”
Duffy, Trump mentioned Monday, “will make our skies secure once more by eliminating DEI for pilots and air site visitors controllers.” DEI refers to “range, fairness and inclusion” packages.
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Price reported from New York and Superville reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Amanda Seitz in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.
