Commentary: Sean Duffy's 'Great American Road Trip' is Trump-era grift posing as a reality show
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Set us as preferred “To love America is to see America,” says U.S.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in the first episode of his six-part reality TV travel series, “Great American Road Trip.” And the country sure does look splendid through the windows of brand new cars, upscale hotels and expensive ski resorts.Funded by corporate sponsors that just happen to be regulated by Duffy’s department, the YouTube series that premiered Wednesday follows Duffy, his wife, Fox News weekend host Rachel Campos-Duffy, and seven of their nine children as they traverse the nation in search of adventure (they visit their two other kids in Texas, where they attend college).This series is designed “to inspire and motivate Americans” to travel during the country’s semiquincentennial celebration, never mind the astronomical gas prices.
The Duffys don’t have to top up the tanks in their roomy lender vehicles because the trip is paid for by corporate sponsors that include Boeing, Toyota, Shell, United Airlines, Royal Caribbean, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Lyft and the U.S.Travel Assn.
There is a disclaimer before each episode stating that their cross-country excursion is funded by a nonprofit and no taxpayer dollars were used to pay for the series.In the three episodes reviewed for this story, the Duffys are provided with different Toyota vehicles for each segment.With their kids, ranging in age from 6 to 26, they visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Sean Duffy’s old digs in Boston and the snowy splendor of Montana and Wyoming.
Their travels will bring them as far as a dude ranch in Texas and the Grand Canyon.Television These reality stars either began their careers on TV or dipped into it later, but they all also tried their hand at politics — some more successfully than others.The family start their trip by stopping by the ...