Episode Sean Duffy, wife defends Great American Road Trip from Buttigieg attack

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his wife, “Fox & Friends” co-star Rachel Campos-Duffy, fired Friday after a previous run of Sec. Pete Buttigieg and his husband have launched a barrage of attacks against the Duffys’ upcoming “Great American Road Trip” TV series.

The controversy began Friday after the couple announced a new show on “Fox & Friends.” Chasten Glezman Buttigieg rushed to X to debunk the project, accusing the Duffys of taking a “month-long, taxpayer-funded family trip” while gas and grocery prices soared due to Trump’s “war of choice.”

He went on to call the couple “apathetic, disinterested, and out of touch,” and brought up old complaints about Duffys criticism of Pete Buttigieg working at her son’s bedside in the ICU.

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Pete Buttigieg joined X’s attack, adding, “I love a good road trip, but this is out of touch: A member of Trump’s Cabinet is making a documentary about him while ordinary families can no longer afford a road trip, because Trump and his war are putting gas prices through the roof.”

Rachel Campos-Duffy responded to Chasten Buttigieg’s post, telling him to “stand down,” and clarifying that the production is entirely funded by the non-profit organization, Great American Road Trip, Inc.

He said his family participated for free to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and noted that the series was filmed in short one- and two-day stops over seven months.

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“You and I both know that my husband has done more in one year to transform DOT and ATC than your husband has done in 4 years on the job,” Campos-Duffy said.

Sean Duffy waited until Saturday to offer a dramatic response, saying the “radical, dative left” hates the series because it’s “too fair,” “too patriotic” and “too happy.”

He assured ethics and budget officials at the Department of Transportation fully reviewed and removed his participation in accordance with federal laws, insisted that non-taxpayer dollars be used, and said that filming took place in short windows such as weekends and spring break for his children.

FILE – Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, attend an event ahead of the Invictus The Hague 2020 Games on April 15, 2022, in The Hague, Netherlands. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)

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He also defended his speedy record at the DOT, highlighting modernized air vehicle controls, the removal of illegal truckers and a 20% annual increase in the number of controllers employed over his predecessor.

After the Duffys’ correction, Chasten Buttigieg made his letter of the attack, retweeting multiple X tweets on Saturday targeting corporate sponsors of the road trip, including DOT-regulated entities such as Boeing, United Airlines, Toyota and Shell.

Critics of the reassignment alleged a conflict of interest, saying the companies sponsored the secretary’s “extended vacation.” The post also tried to drum up support for claims that Duffy suspended safety standards, pardoned airlines that violated consumer laws, and has not fined a single airline in over a year.

FILE – Chasten Buttigieg and Pete Buttigieg attend the 23rd Annual Mark Twain Award for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2022. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

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Despite the political mudslinging and moving poles from critics, the Duffys continue to encourage families to ignore the “haters” and explore America’s parks and monuments ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday.

“Our message is really simple: to love America is to see America,” Sec. Duffy said. “So put down the phone, hit the open road, and rediscover what makes America great.”