Sean Duffy's 'Great American Road Trip' reality series is a flop with fewer than 3,000 views per episode

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's six-episode "Great American Road Trip" has racked up fewer than 3,000 views per segment in the first 24 hours - and some had under 700.
After weeks of delays and ethics questions over Duffy's participation, the series debuted on YouTube Wednesday, featuring the secretary, his wife, "Fox & Friends" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, and several of their nine children touring parts of the U.S. to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
The first episode, which captured a trip to Philadelphia and a stop at the Oval Office to see President Donald Trump in Washington, surpassed 2,000 views roughly 21 hours after being posted.
Neither the Transportation Secretary nor his family were paid for their participation with taxpayer dollars. However, Duffy still collected his government paycheck while filming the series.
Production costs, such as filming, food, fuel, lodging and activities, were paid for by the Great American Road Trip Inc., a nonprofit established to sponsor the series.
However, the nonprofit itself has several major corporate sponsorships, including Toyota, United Airlines, Boeing, Shell, Chase Travel, NBCUniversal, Google and more.
Duffy has been defensive of the project, saying the "radical miserable left" has been critical because it's "too wholesome," "too patriotic," and "too joyful."
Earlier this year, Senator Patty Murray of Washington criticized the show for being "incredibly out of touch with where Americans are." She was referring to skyrocketing gas prices, due to Trump's war with Iran, that had made it more difficult for average Americans to hit the road.
Published 2026-08-20T17:06:25Z.