Donald Trump on Monday nominated former MTV “Real World” contestant, present Fox Information host, and congressional quitter Sean Duffy as transportation secretary.
Duffy has zero {qualifications} for the job. He has no expertise within the transportation area, which he’d be tasked with regulating and enhancing as head of the DOT. Possibly Trump picked him as a result of he received each “Road Rules: All Stars” and “Real World/Road Rules: Battle of the Seasons,” each of which have “road” within the title.
“He will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports,” Trump stated in a press release, which unnecessarily capitalized quite a few phrases. “He will ensure our ports and dams serve our Economy without compromising our National Security, and he will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.”
After his reality-TV profession ended, Duffy went on to run for Congress in Wisconsin, the place he served for eight years earlier than resigning in 2019. Duffy resigned as a result of he stated his ninth baby can be born with issues, together with a coronary heart situation, and he wanted to spend extra time on caring for her.
Over the course of his eight-year tenure, Duffy had simply two payments he sponsored signed into legislation, one in all which was the renaming of a publish workplace.
Nevertheless, when he was in Congress, he did complain that his $174,000 annual wage was too low, saying he needed to drive a—gasp—“used minivan.”
“With six kids, I still pay off my student loans. I still pay my mortgage. I drive a used minivan. If you think I’m living high off the hog, I’ve got one paycheck,” Duffy instructed an indignant constituent at a city corridor assembly. “So I—I struggle to meet my bills right now. Would it be easier for me if I get more paychecks? Maybe, but at this point I’m not living high off the hog.”
In fact, Duffy’s wage was far larger than the $43,000 common annual wage the remainder of People earned in 2011, the yr Duffy made the remark.
Talking of salaries—Duffy criticized lecturers throughout an 2022 look on Fox Information, saying they do not deserve pay raises, though the nationwide common beginning trainer wage this yr is $44,530, in accordance to the Nationwide Schooling Affiliation.
After leaving Capitol Hill, Duffy and his unnaturally white enamel turned a Fox Information contributor and co-host of the Fox Enterprise present “The Bottom Line.”
Whereas working for the right-wing propaganda networks, he is peddled wild lies and conspiracy theories.
He falsely claimed Disney was making an attempt to “sexualize our kids,” that white individuals at the moment are residing beneath a brand new “Jim Crow,” that Democrats are attempting to ban cows, and that former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin was related to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 2018, Duffy blamed the mass taking pictures at a highschool in Parkland, Florida, on abortion, saying the shooter could have carried out his killing spree as a result of “[w]e dehumanize life in those video games, in those movies, and with abortion.”
Duffy additionally made an insanely racist remark in 2021 about Native People, saying that “they burned villages, raped women, seized children, took their—took the people they defeated, took their lands, scalped people.” In fact, he made no point out of the horrible injustices Native People have confronted since Europeans colonized their land.
Duffy’s spouse, fellow Actual World contestant Rachel Campos-Duffy, can also be a Fox Information contributor, so she is going to be capable of sustain the Duffys’ presence on the right-wing propaganda community.
Trump, a frequent Fox viewer, even talked about that in his assertion nominating Duffy.
“The husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on FoxNews, and the father of nine incredible children, Sean knows how important it is for families to be able to travel safely, and with peace of mind,” Trump wrote.
Don’t get us mistaken, Duffy has spoken some truths in his profession.
In 2013, Duffy stated that Republicans might be “knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.”
Because the saying goes, a damaged clock is correct twice a day.
