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Time Magazine
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
What to Know About Sean Duffy, NASA's New Interim Head
The people tapped to run NASA have often been scientists, engineers, academics, or government officials. The agency's new interim head, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, brings a different sort of background to the position. Over the past three decades, Duffy has worn a variety of hats, appearing on reality television, serving as a district attorney and a member of the House, and now leading the Transportation Department under President Donald Trump's second Administration amid mounting concerns about air travel safety. Trump announced Duffy's appointment as NASA's interim Administrator on Wednesday, praising his work as Transportation Secretary. 'Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country's Transportation Affairs,' Trump said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. 'He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time.' Duffy said in a post on X that he was 'honored to accept this mission.' The news of Duffy's appointment comes after Trump pulled his nomination of billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to run NASA in May, just days before Isaacman was expected to be confirmed to the position. Isaacman is a friend of Elon Musk, and the move was seen as the first sign of the rift between Trump and Musk that widened as the two men publicly feuded over a sweeping tax and spending package central to Trump's second term agenda. Duffy will continue to run the Transportation Department while temporarily leading NASA, making him the latest Trump Administration official to take on multiple roles. Here's what to know about him. He was an MTV reality star When Duffy was in his 20s, he appeared on MTV's reality show 'The Real World' and became known as the show's resident playboy. He later starred in the MTV show 'Road Rules: All Stars,' where he met his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, now a Fox News host. The couple have nine children. Together, in 2021, they launched a podcast, 'From the Kitchen Table: The Duffys,' on which they have discussed various social and political issues and promoted a conservative vision of family. He was a district attorney and served in Congress Duffy was the district attorney of Ashland County in Wisconsin for nearly 10 years, from 2002 to 2010. He was elected to the House as part of 2010's Tea Party wave, winning a district that had been held by a Democrat for more than four decades. He served in Congress for about eight years before resigning partway through his fifth term in 2019, saying he wanted to support his family after learning his ninth child would be born with health complications, including a heart condition. He worked as a political commentator and lobbyist After leaving Congress, Duffy worked as a paid political commentator at CNN, where he garnered criticism for promoting a conspiracy theory and suggesting National Security Council official Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman had an 'affinity' for Ukraine after Vindman testified in Trump's first impeachment inquiry. He later worked at a lobbying firm based in Washington before becoming the co-host of a show on Fox Business that premiered in 2023. He now serves in Trump's Cabinet Trump named Duffy as his nominee to run the Transportation Department soon after the 2024 election. Duffy was not among Trump's most contentious nominees, and was sworn into the role in January after an easy confirmation process that ended in a 77-22 Senate vote to approve his nomination. Under Duffy's leadership, the department has pledged to make changes to the nation's air traffic control system, after a string of crashes and near misses. In January, an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided when the plane was about to land at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 people on board both aircrafts. A few months later, radar and communications at Newark Liberty International Airport stopped working on multiple occasions. One of the outages lasted as long as 90 seconds. Hundreds of flights were canceled and delayed in the aftermath. Duffy said he plans to overhaul the nation's air traffic control system, including by replacing antiquated telecommunications and launching efforts to boost staffing for air traffic controllers. As Transportation Secretary, Duffy has also said that he will roll back 'woke DEI policies' and environmental regulations initiated under the Biden Administration.
Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sean Duffy, Donald Trump's unexpected pick for interim NASA chief: Once a reality TV star
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave his secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, an additional responsibility to serve as the interim administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). US transportation secretary Sean Duffy is an old hand from TV and politics. (Getty Images via AFP) Though the NASA administrator role has remained vacant since Trump withdrew his initial nominee, tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, Duffy's appointment still comes as a bolt out of the blue. The Republican leader made the announcement on Wednesday through a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. According to Donald Trump, Sean Duffy will be "a fantastic leader of the ever-more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time." Before Duffy's appointment to the post, Donald Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman's nomination in May, citing a review of his 'prior associations.' SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, whose feud with Trump has been making waves since late May, had backed Isaacman for the post. Know Sean Duffy: Stints include MTV, US Congress Born on October 3, 1971, Sean Duffy is a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin. His resume also includes stints as a lumberjack athlete, reality TV star, prosecutor and Fox News host. Duffy began his career in the public eye when he featured on MTV's 'The Real World: Boston' in 1997. He also worked in MTV's 'Road Rules: All Stars', where he met his wife and future 'Fox & Friends Weekend' co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy in 1998. He has nine kids. Duffy then went on to become a special prosecutor and later the district attorney of Ashland County in northern Wisconsin. He entered the US Congress on a Republican ticket in 2010, riding the Tea Party wave. His advertisement, showing him as a lumberjack, became pretty famous and featured him saying that he would take his axe to Washington. In his nine-year stint in Congress, Duffy served on the Financial Services Committee and was the chair of the subcommittee on insurance and housing. In 2019, he quit Congress to become a contributor to Fox News before being picked by Donald Trump as his transportation secretary in the second term that began in January 2025.
India Today
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- India Today
Who is Sean Duffy, the unexpected choice for NASA's interim administrator?
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as the interim administrator of NASA, a role that has remained vacant since Trump withdrew his initial nominee. His appointment follows the presidential withdrawal of the nomination of tech billionaire Jared made the announcement Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, saying Duffy will be "a fantastic leader of the ever-more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time."advertisementTrump withdrew Isaacman's nomination in May, citing a review of his 'prior associations.' Duffy will temporarily take over the post that has been in the spotlight due to Trump's feud with billionaire Elon Musk, who backed Isaacman. A former Republican congressman from Wisconsin, Duffy's resume includes stints as a lumberjack athlete, reality TV star, prosecutor and Fox News was featured on MTV's "The Real World: Boston" in 1997 and met his his wife, "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, on the set of MTV's "Road Rules: All Stars" in later worked as a special prosecutor and the district attorney of Ashland County in northern Wisconsin. He won election to Congress as part of the tea party wave in UNDERDOG TO POLITICAL FIGUREWhen he first ran for Congress, Duffy was considered an underdog. But he attracted national attention with his campaign ads, which featured him dramatically chopping wood while donning a red flannel shirt. He told voters he came from a 'long line of lumberjacks' and would bring his axe to served in the House for nearly nine years. He was a member of the Financial Services Committee and chair of the subcommittee on insurance and leaving Congress in 2019, citing the need to care for his growing family, Duffy became a contributor to Fox News and one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable television. He served as co-host of 'The Bottom Line' on Fox Business before being picked for the new was one of several Fox personalities that Trump chose to fill his Cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, the new defense has nine children, the youngest of whom was born with a heart follows reports that the administration plans to cut over 2,100 senior NASA staff through early retirements, buyouts, and delayed resignations, aligning with Trump's announcement.- EndsWith inputs from AgenciesMust Watch
South China Morning Post
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Who is Sean Duffy, Trump's new secretary of transportation? From starring in a viral striptease clip from 90s reality TV, to being a dad of 9, and dealing with a recent spate of plane crashes
Donald Trump's newly appointed transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, has promised massive reform, pledging to cut regulations and improve the US' infrastructure, per AP. The former congressman, 53, is no stranger to the limelight, having been featured on several MTV reality shows and hosted programmes on Fox News. Sean Duffy and his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy in November 2023. Photo: @rcamposduffy/Instagram All eyes are on Duffy over several major aviation accidents that have occurred in recent weeks: a passenger plane crash involving an Army helicopter in Washington in January, in which more than 60 people died; a small medical jet carrying a child patient, which crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven; and the Delta Air Lines jet that crashed and flipped over when landing in Toronto. Advertisement All this attention on the politician has meanwhile brought his past back to haunt him. According to the Daily Mail, footage of Duffy performing a striptease in the late 90s, on reality show The Real World: Boston, shows him getting naked and having his nipple licked. So what else do we know about Sean Duffy? Meet the transport secretary who is full of surprises. From reality TV to Fox News USA Today reports that Duffy was studying at William Mitchell College of Law when he joined the cast of MTV's The Real World: Boston during its sixth season. He also appeared in Road Rules: All Stars and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons between 1998 and 2002. His television career switched gears in 2020 when he joined Fox News as a contributor, later scoring a gig as the co-host of the Fox Business programme The Bottom Line. But it's his first stint on The Real World: Boston that's drawing attention, with a video clip of Duffy doing a striptease and ending up naked going viral. Per the Daily Mail, Duffy was positioned on the show as an aspiring 20-something lawyer who also took part in lumberjack competitions. In the clip, he ends up completely naked, with just a strategically placed towel to preserve his modesty. Political power moves
USA Today
30-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Former Boston reality TV star Sean Duffy confirmed as Trump's new transportation chief
Former Boston reality TV star Sean Duffy confirmed as Trump's new transportation chief Show Caption Hide Caption Sean Duffy says oldest son had to evacuate amid L.A. wildfires Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Department of Transportation secretary, introduced his family during his Senate hearing. President Donald Trump's new Secretary of Transportation has an interesting Massachusetts connection. Sean Duffy, who was sworn in on Wednesday as part of the 47th president's cabinet, is a former Wisconsin congressman, an ex-Fox Business television host and, surprisingly enough, a reality TV show star. But not just any reality TV show, Duffy was a main player on the sixth season of the Real World, which was dubbed the "Real World: Boston," he can be seen in the opening of that season of the show. He was also a reality TV star on the show "Road Rules: All Stars." Duffy briefly addressed his time on reality television during his Senate hearings, where he said that he met his wife on reality television and that she, Rachel Campos-Duffy, is the love of his life. On Tuesday, Duffy was confirmed by a vote of 77 to 22. In nominating Duffy to his post, Trump said the former Wisconsin Republican lawmaker would use his experience and relationships from eight years in Congress to rebuild the country's infrastructure and improve travel safety. Sean Duffy speaks on fatal plane crash Regarding Wednesday's fatal plane crash in the Potomac River that took the lives of 67 people, Duffy said during a press conference that it was a clear night and the helicopter and planes in the collision were in normal flying patterns. "Safety is our expectation. Everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely," Duffy said. "That when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That did not happen last night." Duffy then said he knows that the president, the Trump administration, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation will find answers for the families affected and for the flying public. "You should be assured that, when you fly, you're safe," Duffy said. Bart Jansen contributed to the reporting of this story. Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@
