It’s been a few months since Rachel Campus-Duffy, the wife of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, suddenly mentioned Pornhub while promoting the reality show the two former cast members filmed with their nine children over seven months. It was weird at the time, and it’s weird today, but there was always the possibility that “we live in a Pornhub world,” which would make more sense when the show premiered on YouTube in June. Except, now it’s July, and “The Great American Road Trip” is nowhere to be found.
Has the show been cancelled? Are corporate sponsors such as Boeing, Shell, Toyota, Royal Caribbean, United Airlines and Lyft Waste your money financing a show that will never see the light of day? Or is it too late to ensure that the American people get only the best reality show that the man in charge of regulating both the airline and automotive industries can deliver? Looking for answers, Jalopnik contacted both the White House and the Department of Transportation for more information about the future of “The Great American Road Trip.” Sadly, at the time of writing, we are still waiting for answers to our questions. If we ever get any actual feedback, we’ll be sure to update this post accordingly.
That said, while Jalopnik may be more concerned than some others about what Pornhub has to do with the road trip reality show, we’re not the only outlet asking questions about “The Great American Road Trip.” Politico didn’t even give it to Duffy “Whatever happened to Sean Duffy’s Road Trip series?”. There was an uproar for a week before the move took place. On 1 July. Sadly, for all its Washington-insider connections, POLITICO couldn’t get any straight answers. It has not been officially canceled, but there is no telling when it will air.
This is probably still happening
The good news is that POLITICO at least got some responses when it tried to find out whether “The Great American Road Trip” was canceled or not:
Tory Barnes, the head of the Delaware-incorporated nonprofit paying the production costs of the cross-country series, indicated in a statement to Politico on Tuesday that the show’s rollout may not be imminent.
“We’re excited that the Great American Road Trip series will be released in the coming weeks and we’re eager for Americans and visitors alike,” he said, “to be inspired to take road trips of their own as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday throughout the year.”
POLITICO also obtained a comment from the DOT:
Transportation Department spokesman Nate Sizemore suggested in a statement Tuesday that the series would be released soon, but did not specify a date.
He added, “We appreciate Politico’s enthusiasm as we count down the days to the episode. We are finalizing production and look forward to sharing it with the American people soon.”
The DOT did not make Duffy available for an interview with POLITICO.
Same, Politico. Same. However, I suspect that the DOT probably has different reasons for not giving Jalopnik the opportunity to interview the Secretary of Transportation. Still, it doesn’t look like we’ll be sitting down to watch “The Great American Road Trip” any time soon. Especially when you remember how many times this administration has promised that something would happen in a matter of weeks, only for that thing to never happen. However, you never know. The show may still air at some point. If “Community” managed to get a sixth season on Yahoo after it was canceled by NBC, anything is possible.
Perfect timing, no notes
Jalopnik wasn’t the only outlet to notice how poorly timed Duffy’s road trip promotional tour was. The administration he sold his last shred of dignity to stop was the same administration that attacked Iran, a decision that, predictably, sent gas prices soaring. Telling families they needed to drive more was almost as irrelevant as treating Duffy like a glorified golf cart is some big win for new car affordability.
However, beyond the dire times, many more serious concerns have been raised by individuals and organizations that still consider ethics important. For example, the claim that the DOT funded the show with private donations rather than taxpayer dollars might seem like a smart move in theory, but the DOT is part of the executive branch of the federal government. We don’t want wealthy donors funding additional projects for the federal government, which is why it is illegal for private donors to finance the salaries of federal employees. Regardless of whether you agree that this administration is accepting those dollars, the rules of ethics either apply equally, or they don’t exist at all.
Those potential ethical issues aren’t hypothetical either. As Politico wrote:
Meanwhile, Politico reports that a prospective sponsor of the road trip balked at the ethical implications of buying access to Duffy, refusing to participate, and that at least two of Duffy’s ex-House staffers serve on the board of the nonprofit, Great American Road Trip Inc.
One of those board members is a campaign spokesman for Duffy’s son-in-law Michael Alfonso, who is running for Duffy’s old seat in northwest Wisconsin. Alfonso appeared in the trailer for the series.
The second board member has lobbied for a national security company that won a major Federal Aviation Administration contract late last year.
Ethical concerns also prompted a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing in May, where Politico report Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand suggested that the DOT’s ethics lawyers were wrong to approve the show for production, saying:
I don’t like the fact that this ‘Great American (Road Trip)’ reality TV show took several days to film. I don’t like the fact that it was paid for by the companies you have to oversee, the companies you work with, and will be paid to play in our jobs. This would be 100 percent illegal. This would be inappropriate at every level and will not be tolerated.
Were “The Great American Road Trip” delayed or canceled due to ethical issues or poor timing concerns? Maybe, but if we want to know we will have to see if DoT responds to our email or not. (You may not hold your breath.)
