Trump Taps Former ‘Real World’ Cast Member as Transportation Secretary 

The first time American audiences met Sean Duffy, he was a twenty-something year old in the Nineties, grinning for The Real World Boston trailer and exuding bad “vibes” after inquiring about a hot tub. The reality television cast member later went on to serve in the House in 2011, representing Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. The Republican and die-hard Trump supporter left congress in 2019, returning to the screen to co-host The Bottom Line on Fox Business.

On Monday, fellow reality TV personality and president-elect Donald Trump nominated Duffy to be the next secretary of the Department of Transportation and serve in the next White House administration.

The announcement comes as Trump followed up his election win earlier this month by tapping a series of devout zealots and conspiracy theorists to lead the the country’s immigration enforcement, environmental protection, homeland security, foreign policy, national security, and more. While Trump’s first term as president faced considerable pushback from the courts — 246 agency regulations, guidance documents and memoranda were challenged at the federal level, with his administration winning 54 of the cases — the president-elect will be entering a second term with GOP control of the House and Senate.

Duffy is the second Fox News pundit tapped by Trump, and the first former Real World cast member nominated.

“Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation,” Trump touted in a statement posted to Truth Social.

Trump added that Duffy will “ensure our ports and dams serve our Economy without compromising our National Security, and he will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.”

Earlier this year, a string of alarming incidents involving Boeing‘s 737 Max models were used to launch a baseless campaign pointing fingers at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies for aircraft safety issues. While there is zero proof that recruiting pilots who aren’t white men (still the overwhelming majority of the profession) puts airline passengers at risk, it appears as if the DEI talking point will play a significant part in Trump’s recent nomination of Duffy.

Duffy previously lobbied the Department of Transportation, according to federal lobbying filings, on behalf of a large oil and gas pipeline company in 2021. The former congressman previously served on the Advisory Board for BGR Group, one of the top performing lobbying firms in the world.

As the head of the Department of Transportation, Duffy would takeover the agency from Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was appointed in February 2021. Elaine Chao headed the department during Trump’s first administration. Following the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, Cho resigned a day after the insurrection.

Cho called the riot a “traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the president” stormed the building, she added that it had “deeply troubled me in a way I simply cannot set aside.”