What to know about Sean Duffy, Trump's Transportation secretary pick
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Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy onstage during the FOX Nation Patriot Awards on Nov. 16, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) was tapped by President-elect Trump on Monday to serve as Secretary of Transportation.
Why it matters: If confirmed, the Fox News contributor and former reality star will be tasked with handling the nation's air, rail and supply-chain issues.
State of play: Duffy is the second Fox News personality selected by for the new administration, following Trump's Pentagon pick, Pete Hegseth.
- Trump himself launched a political career after becoming a household name via NBC's "The Apprentice."
Duffy's background
Duffy, 53, was born in Hayward, Wisconsin, and was one of 11 children.
- A former lumberjack athlete, Duffy has a marketing degree from St. Mary's University and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.
- Duffy is married to fellow Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy and they have nine children.
Reality star
"The Real World: Boston"
Duffy was on MTV's "The Real World: Boston" in 1997. The reality show followed a group of strangers living together for several months.
- Duffy was a 25-year-old aspiring lawyer at the time. His biography for the show called him "a true lumberjack" and "a typical Midwestern boy" who was "brought up in a strict Irish-Catholic family."
- A conservative Republican, he clashed with a cast member described as liberal.
Road Rules
The following year, Duffy appeared on "Road Rules: All Stars," which followed alumni of "The Real World."
- There he where he met his future wife, Rachel, who had appeared on "The Real World: San Francisco."
- In 2002, Duffy also appeared on "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons."
- Both he and wife appeared in a 2008 segment on "The Real World Awards Bash."
Political career
- Duffy, a special prosecutor, was appointed to serve as Ashland County District Attorney in 2002 and was reelected later that year and again for three more terms.
- He then won a House seat for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district as part of the 2010 Tea Party wave, AP reports.
- Serving in Congress from 2011 to 2019, Duffy was a member of the Financial Services Committee and chair of the subcommittee on insurance and housing.
- He resigned in 2019 after learning the child he and his wife were expecting was diagnosed with a heart condition and other complications.
Fox News
Duffy and Dagen McDowell premiered as co-hosts of "The Bottom Line" on Fox Business in 2023. Duffy is also a contributor on Fox News.
- Fox News Media said following Trump's announcement that Duffy is departing the network effective Monday, and"The Bottom Line" will continue with McDowell and rotating co-hosts.
- His wife, Campos-Duffy, was once a guest host on ABC's "The View" and has been co-host on Fox & Friends Weekend since 2021, alongside Hegseth.
- She is one of several Fox News hosts who have defended Hegseth following reports that one of his tattoos had been flagged as a potential white nationalist symbol.
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