Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is facing backlash for a new reality series, “The Great American Road Trip,” which follows Duffy and his family as they travel to iconic destinations across the United States.
The project comes as U.S. gas prices have skyrocketed to more than $4.50 a gallon amid the war in Iran.
Duffy defended his side project for the Department of Transportation over the weekend, accusing critics of the five-part series — which was filmed over the last seven months and is set to air on YouTube — of being unpatriotic.
Sean Duffy and his family are seen in this promo shot for “The Great American Road Trip.”
US Department of Transportation
“The radical, miserable left has noticed our awesome Great American Road Trip trailer… and they hate it. It’s too wholesome. It’s too patriotic. It’s too joyful,” he wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
Duffy further claimed his critics “don’t want you to celebrate America” or “to teach your kids civics & patriotism.”
Duffy’s post follows criticism from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who in a social media post Friday called the series “brutally out of touch.”
“I love a good road trip, but this is brutally out of touch: a Trump Cabinet member making a documentary about himself while regular families can’t afford road trips anymore, because Trump and his war put gas prices through the roof,” Buttigieg wrote on X.
“The Great American Road Trip” follows Duffy and his wife, Fox News anchor Rachel Campos-Duffy, as they travel to famous U.S. destinations including Civil War battlegrounds, the Mayflower landing site and Yellowstone National Park.
On YouTube, a trailer caption describes the series as “an unforgettable civic experience” meant to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
President Donald Trump is featured in the first moments of the newly released “Great American Road Trip” trailer, greeting the Duffys in the Oval Office before they hit the road.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy speaks alongside Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on January 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Duffy, a former “The Real World” star, wrote on X on Saturday that the project was filmed “in short, one to two day production windows — such as weekends and the kids’ spring break.”
“Production costs were paid for by the Great American Road Trip Inc., not taxpayers,” he wrote. “Zero taxpayer dollars were spent on my family.”
Duffy also said ethics and budget officials had “reviewed and approved both my participation and individual travel in accordance with federal rules.”
The website for the project lists sponsors including Boeing and United Airlines, two companies Duffy oversees as part of his role as transportation secretary.
Duffy says he and his family were not paid to participate in the series.
Reached for comment, a representative for United told ABC News they had nothing to add.
A Boeing spokesperson declined to comment when reached by ABC News.
Tori Barnes, executive director of The Great American Road Trip, Inc., told ABC News in a statement on Monday, “The Great American Road Trip Inc. is proud to work with the first Transportation Secretary who actually understands the significance of promoting and supporting travel and tourism in America, just as he supports the critical infrastructure and systems that make travel possible via roads, bridges, in the air and via waterways.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to note that Sean Duffy and his family were not paid to participate in “The Great American Road Trip,” according to the transportation secretary, and to note United and Boeing representatives declined to comment when reached by ABC News.
