The Wait Is Over: Sean Duffy’s ‘Great American Road Trip’ Debuts

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is taking his family on “The Great American Road Trip” and bringing America along, too. The long-awaited reality TV series is here, and the Daily Signal got a first look at the family’s first two trips: Philadelphia and Texas.

In the six-episode series, Duffy; his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend”; and their nine children visit Philadelphia; Texas; the Grand Canyon; Charleston, South Carolina; Montana; Wyoming; and Boston.

Made for the whole family, the show highlights civic lessons, American history, national parks, and classic American small towns.

“Taking a road trip is a civic experience. America isn’t something you can understand through a phone screen. It has to be experienced—on the highways, in small towns, at roadside diners, in truck stops, national parks, county fairs, and all the strange little places in between. In honor of our nation’s 250th birthday, we’re sharing this unique series with the public for free in the hopes that we can inspire more Americans to get out and see the places–big and small–that make up the fabric of our country,” Secretary Duffy said in a statement to the Daily Signal.

Philadelphia

The first episode opens with a little bit of real-world chaos, or a “beautiful mess,” as Rachel Campos-Duffy describes it, as the family packs for its first trip to Philadelphia.

Before getting on the road, they make a special stop at the White House, where President Trump sends them on their way. “Taking a little trip all over,” he says, describing their adventure.

Rachel Campos-Duffy shares that she wanted to start it all off by visiting Philadelphia because of the city’s rich American history. “It’s the birthplace of democracy,” she says. “It all began here.”

The family meets Interior Secretary Doug Burgum at the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall as both Cabinet secretaries give the family a history lesson, with experts helping along the way.

“The kids enjoyed it, and they’re a little smarter and a little more patriotic,” Duffy said.

“If a bunch of other American families decide to go to Philadelphia because they saw what a great time we had, this would have been a success,” his wife continued.

The family is raw and real, showing its faith by publicly praying and showing the kids arguing. One segment shows their freshman son wanting to drop out of college as his parents encourage him to stick it out.

Texas

The Duffys then head to Texas to visit their two children, Lucia and John Paul, who attend college in Fort Worth.

They learn line dancing, eat Texas barbecue, and the secretary learns what it takes to be a cowboy. A farmer asks if he wants to live out the American dad dream of living on a dude ranch. The family discusses their plans to move to Texas in the future.

The trip wasn’t all family fun for the secretary; he had to work, too, sometimes longer than the family expected. He visited the largest asphalt and concrete company to hear a real American manufacturing story and then a cattle farm to hear how farmers support America.

How Did They Do It?

The show was the secretary’s idea after the president asked his Cabinet to come up with creative ways to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

They are a busy family but filmed in “short bursts” on weekends, holidays, and during the children’s spring break.

No taxpayer funds were used to cover production costs for “The Great American Road Trip” or expenses for the Duffy family. They also will not receive a salary or production royalties, unlike participants in most reality TV shows.

The show was funded by the nonprofit Great American Road Trip Inc., with sponsors including Boeing, Toyota, Lyft, Shell, and Comcast NBCUniversal. The nonprofit announced a partnership with the Department of Transportation in March.