Gavin Newsom calls Sean Duffy ‘a total disgrace’ over reality show amid US transport crises

WASHINGTON, DC: California Gov Gavin Newsom launched a sharp attack against Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy after reports revealed the former reality television personality spent months filming a family road trip show while serving in office.

Newsom took aim at Duffy in a fiery X post on Saturday, May 9, accusing the transportation chief of focusing more on television cameras than public safety as transportation concerns continued making headlines across the country.

“Sean Duffy is a total disgrace!” Newsom wrote.

“Multiple air accidents happened on his watch — and instead of doing his job, he’s been busy filming a reality TV show on the taxpayer’s dime,” the governor added.

Gavin Newsom questions Sean Duffy’s priorities amid reality show controversy

The controversy centered around Duffy’s involvement in a Trump-approved reality television project titled ‘The Great American Road Trip.’

According to reports, Duffy spent seven months filming the show with his family while continuing to serve as Transportation Secretary.

During appearances discussing the project, Duffy reportedly said he still managed to do “some work” while filming the cross-country reality series.

The issue became even more politically explosive because Duffy already had a long history in television before entering politics.

That background made the reality-show angle feel less like a side project and more like a continuation of his media career while holding public office.

Newsom’s criticism appeared aimed at highlighting that contrast between public responsibility and entertainment.

Sean Duffy faces criticism after reports about ‘The Great American Road Trip’

The backlash intensified further after a deadly incident involving a Frontier Airlines aircraft at Denver International Airport.

According to airport officials, the plane, which was headed to Los Angeles, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff” late Friday night.

The collision reportedly triggered an engine fire and forced an emergency evacuation of passengers.

The shocking incident quickly became part of the criticism surrounding Duffy’s leadership as transportation secretary.

Viewers also pointed out that just hours earlier on Friday morning, Sean Duffy and his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy had appeared on ‘Fox & Friends’ discussing their seven-month road trip across the United States.

Fox News discussion fuels debate around transportation safety concerns

Rachel Campos-Duffy, Sean Duffy’s wife and co-host of ‘Fox & Friends,’ later addressed the Denver airport incident on-air while interviewing aviation expert Kyle Bailey.

During the discussion, Campos-Duffy appeared visibly stunned by the runway accident and asked Bailey whether he had “ever seen anything like this happen before?”

She also questioned how security failures could have allowed a pedestrian access onto an active runway.

The timing of the segment added more fuel to criticism already surrounding Duffy, with critics questioning whether the transportation secretary had been too focused on television projects while transportation safety concerns continued to dominate headlines.