Trump Nominates Another Fox Personality, Former Congressman To Cabinet

President-elect Donald Trump has added another Fox News figure to his Cabinet, selecting Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin, as Transportation Secretary. Multiple reports confirmed the announcement on Monday evening.

Duffy, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019, is also known as the co-host of The Bottom Line and a former cast member of MTV’s Real World in the 1990s.

“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,” Trump announced in a statement on Truth Social.

“During his time in Congress, Sean was a respected voice and communicator in the Republican Conference, advocating for Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Growth, and Rural Development. Admired across the aisle, Sean worked with Democrats to clear extensive Legislative hurdles to build the largest road and bridge project in Minnesota History,” Trump added.

The president-elect also highlighted Duffy’s personal life, calling him the “husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on FoxNews, and the father of nine incredible children.”

Rachel Campos-Duffy co-hosts Fox & Friends Weekend, the same show where Pete Hegseth, another Cabinet pick, previously appeared. Hegseth, who was named Secretary of Defense last week, left the network following Trump’s announcement.

Fox News issued a statement praising Duffy’s contributions: “Sean Duffy provided valuable insights and analysis in co-hosting the FOX Business Network program, The Bottom Line,” the network said in a release to Mediaite. “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.”

Last week, Trump had announced Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense.

“I am honored to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth to serve in my Cabinet as The Secretary of Defense. Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,” Trump said in a statement.

Trump praised Hegseth’s educational and military background, stating, “Pete is a graduate of Princeton University, and has a Graduate Degree from Harvard University. He is an Army Combat Veteran who did tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan. For his actions on the battlefield, he was decorated with two Bronze Stars, as well as a Combat Infantryman’s Badge.”

Trump continued, “Pete has been a host at FOX News for eight years, where he used that platform to fight for our Military and Veterans. Pete’s recent book, The War on Warriors, spent nine weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list, including two weeks at NUMBER ONE.”

The statement also emphasized Hegseth’s advocacy for service members: “The book reveals the leftwing betrayal of our Warriors, and how we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence. Pete has also led two Veterans Advocacy organizations, leading the fight for our Warriors, and our great Veterans. Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy.”

Following Hegseth’s nomination, reports surfaced regarding a sexual assault claim from 2017. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, addressed the allegations, asserting that his client was a victim of blackmail during the #MeToo movement.

Hegseth reached an undisclosed settlement with a woman who accused him of sexual assault, though he has maintained the encounter was consensual.

“Basically, he was totally innocent. He did nothing wrong here,” Parlatore told the New York Post. “We went through a mediation and ultimately settled for far less than what she wanted. And that should have completely buried it.”

According to Parlatore, the alleged incident occurred in October 2017 in Monterey, California. The accuser, a staffer from a conservative organization, claimed Hegseth assaulted her in his hotel room after a night of heavy drinking.

Parlatore disputed the claim, stating, “He had way too many drinks, and according to video surveillance and eyewitness testimony, this woman who was sober took advantage of him, and she was the aggressor.”

“She took him by the arm and she led him up to his room,” Parlatore added.