A Trump official's "wholesome" family road trip reality show was bankrolled by companies that he regulates in his Cabinet-level position, according to a new report.
"Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's glamorous road trip across the U.S. was paid for by corporate titans," The New Republic reported on Thursday. "The money came from a supposedly independent nonprofit...behind the nonprofit's funding is a medley of industry giants, including aircraft manufacturer Boeing, carmaker Toyota, and gas giant Shell."
Duffy filmed an upcoming reality show, The Great American Roadtrip, that documented a seven-month road trip he took with his wife and nine children. It will feature "really wholesome, good family stuff," his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, said, according to the report.
Although Duffy is "a multimillionaire with a taxpayer-funded salary," he didn't pay for his family road trip, and reality show himself, The New Republic added.
The trip is backed by the nonprofit Great American Road Trip Inc. The nonprofit is funded by transportation industry giants, including Royal Caribbean Group, United Airlines, Chase Travel, and the U.S. Travel Association, along with the aforementioned titans, according to the report.
Politico reported on Tuesday that sponsorships for Duffy's reality show road trip started at $100,000 and went as high as $1 million.
As Transportation Secretary, Duffy oversees aviation regulations, auto safety, and gas pipeline and hazmat transport, among other areas that affect the companies boosting his "extravagant" trip, the report noted.
