Politico received major pushback over its headline reporting on President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination for transportation secretary, which labeled former Rep. Sean Duffy as a “reality TV star.”
Duffy, who served eight years in Congress as a Wisconsin lawmaker, is among the latest of Trump’s nominations for the president-elect’s Cabinet. Despite Duffy being in Congress for almost a decade and working as a district attorney for eight years before that, Politico’s headline of its article on the news portrayed Duffy as “a reality TV star,” prompting criticism from social media users.
“You guys really haven’t learned anything have you?” the Washington Examiner’s Salena Zito wrote on X. “@SeanDuffyWI was a member of US Congress for eight years representing a house district in Wisconsin, he was also an assistant DA for eight years.”
You guys really haven’t learned anything have you?@SeanDuffyWI was a member of US Congress for eight years representing a house district in Wisconsin, he was also an assistant DA for eight years . https://t.co/t9dSo5fdJK
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) November 18, 2024
Many other users on X were quick to point out Duffy’s lengthy record in lawfare for his eligibility for the position, with radio host Dana Loesch calling him “a fine pick.”
WTF, “reality tv star?” Duffy is an attorney and served in Congress. This is a fine pick. https://t.co/Koafv8e2NF
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) November 18, 2024
Sean Duffy did not serve 8 years as a District Attorney and another 8 in Congress for Politico to call him a “reality TV star.” https://t.co/unfz646QjO
— Angela Morabito (@AngelaLMorabito) November 18, 2024
An attorney who was in Congress for 8 years…
Politico is leftist trash.
You dont hate the media enough.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) November 19, 2024
He’s an attorney who was in Congress for 8 years. https://t.co/9c3R34meGQ
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) November 19, 2024
Sean Duffy was an Assistant District Attorney for 8 years, a Member of Congress for 8 years representing Wisconsin, and Politico calls him a “reality TV star”?
INSANE https://t.co/KcBe1cPp62
— Brian Martinez (@BrianMartinezWI) November 18, 2024
Duffy served in Congress from 2010 to 2018 before resigning to take care of his daughter, who has Down syndrome. He has since been co-hosting The Bottom Line with his wife on Fox Business and is a contributor to Fox News.
The former lawmaker’s reality television credit comes from appearing on MTV’s Real World in 1997, with the show bringing people unfamiliar with each other to live together for multiple months. Duffy was described by the network as a “typical Midwestern boy” from Hayward, Wisconsin.
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In announcing Duffy’s nomination, Trump touted that Duffy would ensure the country’s ports and dams “serve our Economy without compromising our National Security” and that his nominee would also eliminate “DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.”
Duffy’s nomination comes about a week after Trump nominated Pete Hegseth, a co-host of Fox News’s Fox and Friends Weekend, as the administration’s secretary of defense. Following Hegseth’s nomination, multiple media outlets opted to focus on his time on Fox News rather than how he is a veteran.