Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is hitting back hard at the almost exclusively left-wing critics of the Great American Road Trip.
Announced a year ago, the Great American Roadtrip was a video-recorded road trip by Duffy and his family designed to promote American-made vehicles and U.S. tourism.
“I’ll be embarking on my own road trip this summer to encourage families to hit the road & create memories in the most beautiful country on earth!” Duffy said during the trip’s official launch.
To love America you’ve got to see America! That’s why @USDOT is launching The Great American Roadtrip and I’ll be embarking on my own road trip this summer to encourage families to hit the road & create memories in the most beautiful country on earth!
Join us in celebrating… pic.twitter.com/joU8QBUg96
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 30, 2025
For whatever reason, the trip only recently went viral on the left, prompting an outpouring of outrage and criticism.
“I love a good road trip, but this is brutally out of touch,” Biden-era Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted last Friday. “A Trump cabinet member making a documentary about himself while regular families can’t afford road trips anymore because Trump and his war put gas prices through the roof.”
Bulwark founder Sarah Longwell posted a tweet accusing Duffy of taking “a 7 month family reality show road trip subsidized by the American taxpayer and paid for by corporations you regulate, while not doing your actual job—which incidentally is also paid for by taxpayers who are paying an enormous amount for gas because of a war your boss launched and can’t get out of.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint asking the Department of Transportation Inspector General to investigate the road trip because it “may have violated federal gift and travel rules.”
NEW: Sec. Sean Duffy announced that he participated in a reality show about his family’s months-long road trip across the country, sponsored by several companies regulated by the Transportation Department. We’re asking the DOT inspector general to investigate.
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) May 11, 2026
“As everyday Americans struggle with rising gas prices and raise concerns about airline safety, Secretary Duffy announced that he spent work time going on a trip apparently funded by the very industries his agency oversees,” CREW president Donald K. Sherman said in a statement.
“The second Trump administration has not earned an ounce of trust when it comes to putting the public’s needs before the desires of corporations that are funding administration pet projects. The public deserves clarity on exactly how the funding for Secretary Duffy’s travel worked and assurance that the companies involved, including a foreign automaker, will not receive preferential treatment from the agency,” he added.
His complaint about the road trip being “funded by the very industries his agency oversees” was a reference to reports that the trip was funded in part by companies like Toyota, United Airlines, and Boeing.
Duffy fired back at all his critics in a tweet published on Saturday in which he called the trip “wholesome,” “patriotic,” and “joyful”:
The radical, miserable left has noticed our awesome Great American Road Trip trailer…
and they hate it.
It’s too wholesome.
It’s too patriotic.
It’s too joyful.They’re upset because they don’t want you to celebrate America! And they definitely don’t want you to teach your…
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 9, 2026
He included some notes, like the fact that the production costs for the trip were paid for by the Great American Road Trip Inc., a nonprofit funded by the previously mentioned corporations.
“Career ethics and budget officials at the Department of Transportation reviewed and approved both my participation and individual travel in accordance with federal rules,” he added.
He concluded the tweet with a message directed at the American people.
“Don’t let the haters stop you from visiting our spectacular national parks, monuments and sights in honor of America’s 250th birthday!” he wrote. “Our message is really simple: to love America is to see America. So put the phone down, hit the open road, and rediscover what makes America great.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.