Trump says he is appointing former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy to be Transport Secretary

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that he is appointing former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee for transport secretary as he continues to roll out elected to his cabinet.

Duffy is a former reality TV star who was one of Trump’s most visible defenders on cable news — a primary concern for the media-focused president. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, was a member of the Financial Services Committee and chairman of the Insurance and Housing Subcommittee. He left Congress in 2019 and is the co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business.

In his announcement, Trump noted that Duffy is married to a Fox News host and called him “the husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox News.”

A Fox News Media spokesman wished Duffy “the best of luck in his return to Washington” and said he was leaving the company on Monday.

Duffy is so far the second Fox-affiliated TV host Trump has named to his Cabinet. Trump announced last week his choice of Fox News host Pete Hegseth to act as his defense secretary.

Trump said Duffy would use his experience and relationships built over the years in Congress “to maintain and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and fulfill our mission to usher in a golden age of travel focused on safety, efficiency and innovation. It is important that he will greatly enhance the travel experience for all Americans!

Duffy in 2022 ruled out a run for Wisconsin governor despite calls from Trump to make a bid, saying he had to take care of his nine children, including his youngest, who had a heart condition.

He is a former Lumberjack athlete and frequent Fox News contributor. He was on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in 1997. He met his wife on the set of MTV’s “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998.

A reality TV background before politics is not unusual in Trump’s world. The former president launched his political career after his hit reality show, ” The apprentice“

After her time on reality television, Duffy 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 down trees. He told voters he came from a “long line of lumberjacks” and wanted to bring his ax to Washington.

He worked until his resignation in 2019.

The Department of Transportation oversees the nation’s complex transportation system, including pipelines, railroads, automobiles, trucks, the airlines and mass transit systems, as well as federal funding for highways.

If confirmed, Duffy would take over at a time of huge change, particularly on the nation’s highways. Road deaths are still near record highs at a time when new technologies are being introduced to help make the roads safer. More companies are deploying autonomous robot axes and even driverless semis without specific federal regulations. And the beginning transition from gasoline to electric vehicles presents its own safety concerns, especially with battery fires that can be difficult to put out.

The department includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates automakers, including Elon Musk’s Tesla. The department sets fuel economy standards for cars and trucks and regulates the airline industry through the Federal Aviation Administration, which is struggling with a shortage of air traffic controllers to ensure safe and orderly air travel.

Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, said the association was “thrilled” with the selection of Duffy.

“Congressman Duffy has a proven track record of getting things done, and we are eager to partner with him on key issues affecting the U.S. aviation industry,” Calio said.

Trump has criticized electric vehicles as expensive and unreliable and called President Joe Biden’s policies to promote them “madness.” He has also said that EV manufacturing will destroy jobs in the auto industry and has falsely claimed that battery-powered cars do not work in cold weather and are not capable of traveling long distances.

Trump has softened his rhetoric on electric vehicles in recent months after Musk endorsed him and campaigned hard for his election.

Still, industry officials expect Trump to try to slow a shift to electric cars, and a tax credit for electric car purchases is reportedly among those the Trump administration may seek to eliminate next year.

Trump said in his statement that Duffy would “prioritize excellence, competence, competitiveness and beauty as he rebuilds America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports.” Trump, when he was campaigning for the White House, would sometimes complain about the state of air travel in particular, lamenting that the nation’s “once-honored airports” are a “dirty, overcrowded mess.”

Duffy, Trump said Monday, “will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.” DEI refers to “diversity, equity and inclusion” 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.