Trump picks ex-congressman and Fox host as transport secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy to lead the Department of Transportation.

Duffy, who was one of Trump’s most vocal defenders on cable news, is the second Fox commentator to be picked for the incoming cabinet.

If confirmed, he will take charge of aviation, automotive, rail, transit and other transportation policies at the transport department, with a roughly $110bn (£86bn) annual budget.

“Sean has been a tremendous and well-liked public servant,” Trump wrote in an announcement on Truth Social, adding Duffy was “admired across the aisle”.

Trump said Duffy would use his experience in Congress “to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfil our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation”.

“The husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox News, 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,” the president-elect said.

Before beginning his career in public service, Duffy was a prosecutor and a reality TV star, appearing on several shows including The Real World: Boston, and Road Rules: All Stars.

In 2011, he was elected as a Republican to represent Wisconsin in the US House of Representatives, where he served until 2019.

If confirmed, he will succeed Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2021.

The Department of Transportation has nearly 55,000 workers and leads the country’s safety, sustainability and efficiency efforts with regard to travel and transport.

The incoming secretary will continue to face a number of safety-related aviation issues, including the continued problems at Boeing, as the troubled manufacturer addresses a series of safety and quality issues.

The threat of labour action also looms, as well as potential upheaval if Trump delivers on his campaign promise to reverse the Biden administration’s new rules on vehicle emissions.

Since his resounding election win earlier this month, Trump has steadily named those he wants to fill high-ranking positions in his administration, seeming to choose close allies over those with related policy experience.