Trump picks ex-GOP Rep. Sean Duffy for Transportation secretary

President-elect Trump said Monday that his selection for the role of Transportation secretary in his upcoming administration is former Rep. and Fox Business host Sean Duffy (R-Wis.).

“I am pleased to announce that former Congressman Sean Duffy, from the Great State of Wisconsin, is nominated to serve as the Secretary of Transportation,” Trump said in a statement. “Sean has been a tremendous and well-liked public servant, starting his career as a District Attorney for Ashland, Wisconsin, and later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.”

Duffy left the House in late 2019 in the wake of learning that one of his children had a heart condition. He has historically been a supporter of the president-elect, defending Trump’s controversial 2017 executive order on immigration imposing a 90-day ban on nationals from seven mostly Muslim countries from coming into the U.S.

“What’s wrong with a pause? We’ve having a pause for 90 days. Why is that so radical?” Duffy said on CNN’s “New Day” at the time.

In his Monday statement, Trump said Duffy “was a respected voice and communicator in the Republican Conference, advocating for Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Growth, and Rural Development” while “in Congress.”

Trump also urged Duffy to run for Wisconsin governor in 2022, saying he was trying “hard to get very popular and capable Former Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin to run for Governor” in late 2021.

Duffy said later in early 2022 that he would not run for the Badger State’s top office.

“Hopefully I’m not riding off into the sunset,” Duffy said on 1130 WISN, a talk radio station. “I’m just running into the sunset right now. If an opportunity presents itself, I’d like to come back and partake in Wisconsin politics.”

Duffy currently co-hosts a show on Fox Business in its 6 p.m. hour called “The Bottom Line.” He has been a contributor to the network since 2020. 

The former GOP congressman is married to fellow Fox host Rachel Campos Duffy, whom he met on a reality television show. She serves as a co-host for “Fox & Friends Weekend.” 

Campos Duffy is a former co-host of Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, while Sean Duffy is the fourth current or former Fox host to be tapped for a position in the president-elect’s administration. 

In a statement to The Hill, Fox confirmed Duffy’s employment at the network ended with his being selected by Trump on Monday. 

“Sean Duffy provided valuable insights and analysis in co-hosting the FOX Business Network program, The Bottom Line,” the network said. “As Duffy departs FOX News Media effective today, we wish him the best of luck in his return to Washington. Moving forward, The Bottom Line will continue with Dagen McDowell joined by rotating co-hosts.”

Dominick Mastrangelo contributed.

Updated at 7:44 pm EST.

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