In short
Katie Miller Podcast episode featuring Sean Duffy and Rachel Duffy discussing their “Great American Road Trip” series, family life with nine children, and Sean’s role as U.S. Secretary of Transportation (framed as “Road to Trump’s Transportation Secretary”). They also cover air travel delays, aviation modernization, AI use in scheduling/weather routing, family seating controversies, and autonomous vehicle regulation.
Guest backgrounds
Sean Duffy is a former congressman and now Secretary of Transportation; he previously served in Congress and is described as excited to brief Congress. Rachel Duffy is a Fox News personality who built her career after 14 years as a stay-at-home mom, later becoming a weekend show host. They met on a reality show and are described as a conservative Catholic family.
Key claims
Travel delays are mostly airline/weather-driven; DOT is modernizing old systems and deploying new software/AI to reduce scheduling peaks and improve weather routing. Airlines generally try to keep families together; reported separations are “overreported” and sometimes unavoidable. Autonomous vehicles need one federal standard; DOT is balancing innovation with safety (“Goldilocks approach”).
Notable examples
AI for weather route-finding; replacing tower equipment (radios/radar/voice switches); a family seating incident involving a child with Downs; an AV rule change about using roadside triangles vs strobe lights; Sean missing a show due to East Coast weather after Rachel’s flight.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Dynamics of Political Partnerships
0:00 to 1:23
Learn about the unique support system in political marriages.
“I see two of you work together very beautifully, right?”
Filming the Great American Road Trip
1:30 to 3:40
Discover the challenges and joys of filming a family road trip.
“Rachel wanted her baby fixed so we're going to do the podcast with the baby.”
The Concept of Family in Reality TV
3:40 to 4:30
Explore the nuances of filming a reality show with family values.
“to hopefully inspire Americans to get out.”
The Importance of Family Road Trips
4:30 to 5:42
Understand why road trips are vital for family bonding and connection.
“So over the course of our marriage for over 20 years, we have been approached by different production companies to do a reality television show and with our family.”
Navigating Education Decisions for Kids
5:42 to 9:19
Discuss the complexities of educational choices for children.
“And a road trip is a great bonding experience.”
The Role of Wives in Political Success
9:19 to 14:00
Learn how wives influence political careers behind the scenes.
“And I think it's a worthwhile discussion.”
The Role of Spouses in Politics
14:00 to 14:44
Learn how supportive spouses contribute to political success.
“I mean, know that from your own marriage.”
Returning to Work After Years at Home
14:44 to 18:13
Discover the journey of transitioning back into the workforce.
“And I look at Pete and Jen, and Pete is blessed to have someone like Jen Hexeth partnering with him.”
Navigating Parenthood and Careers Together
18:13 to 21:56
Understand the dynamics of balancing family and demanding careers.
“If we think back to that time in our life, I was in Congress, and I had a really hard district.”
Challenges of Being Secretary of Transportation
21:56 to 23:59
Gain insight into the responsibilities and challenges of the role.
“There's always one person in the marriage who yells, the other person who goes quiet, and the two of them shall marry.”
Show all 25 chapters
Improving Air Travel Experience
23:59 to 26:41
Learn about initiatives aimed at enhancing air travel for families.
“The gate says we're waiting for a bigger plane or something.”
Civility and Family Travel
26:41 to 28:00
Explore the importance of civility in family travel experiences.
“Another big controversy in air travel is families.”
Civility in Air Travel: A Personal Experience
28:00 to 29:59
Discover a personal story highlighting the importance of civility in air travel.
“they we were separated and I was like one of the last people on the plane and so I thought for sure somebody was going to move.”
Serving as Secretary of Transportation
30:00 to 31:04
Learn about the conversation that led to the guest becoming Secretary of Transportation and the president's vision for the department.
“Someone's going to volunteer to let her sit with us.”
Family Life: Decisions on Children
31:05 to 32:39
Explore the guest's perspective on family planning and having nine children.
“And whether it's roads and bridges, he's talking about concrete and bridges and designs and colors.”
The Reality of Fertility and Parenting
32:40 to 34:08
Discuss the realities of fertility, parenting at different ages, and societal expectations around family size.
“And there was a time when we didn't have a lot of money.”
Current Transportation Challenges
34:09 to 35:54
Understand the biggest transportation issues currently faced in the U.S., particularly in aviation.
“And it's, it's, it's a very different experience.”
Speeding Up Autonomous Vehicle Regulations
35:55 to 38:18
Learn about the challenges and regulations surrounding autonomous vehicles in the U.S.
“When I got this job, someone told me it's 70 % of the job, and I didn't believe them, and it's a lot because we are doing so much so fast.”
Modernizing the Department of Transportation
38:19 to 39:51
Discover the efforts to modernize outdated systems within the Department of Transportation.
“And so why wouldn't we move as fast as we can?”
AI in Transportation: Current and Future Uses
39:52 to 41:24
Explore how AI is being integrated into various transportation sectors and its potential benefits.
“We can use, like, listen, AI can be used everywhere.”
Fun Games and Parenting Insights
41:25 to 42:00
Engage in a lighthearted game that leads to insights about parenting and family life.
“So it is the power of the tool to walk you through.”
Parenting Dilemmas and Humor
42:00 to 44:10
Explore humorous parenting dilemmas and the joys of having a large family.
“or assemble nine car seats without instructions?”
Conspiracy Theories and Distrust of Government
44:10 to 46:34
Discussion on various conspiracy theories and the importance of questioning government actions.
“or have President Trump watch your entire MTV archive?”
Food, Farming, and Culinary Skills
46:34 to 49:18
Delve into the conversation about food sourcing, cooking skills, and family meals.
“So when I'm out of this job, I'm going to get a farm, and I am going to do a, I'm going to figure out how to regeneratively farm and not use chemicals.”
Memorable Experiences in Office
49:18 to 51:24
Hear about significant experiences and memorable events from working in the White House.
“and the Andrea Bocelli concert inside of the East Room was...”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Katie Miller:I see two of you work together very beautifully, right? You are his best consultant. He's probably your best consultant and best partner. Every political marriage, the only person in the, you know, candidate, politician, secretary's life who has no angle except what's best for that person is the wife. I mean, you know that from your own marriage. But the magic of fixing travel is going to be new software. So AI will help us better find routes in weather that helps us keep airplanes flying safely, by the way. But new tools coming into the system to manage how we have this flow of airplanes continuing will make magic.
0:36You know, there's a lot of companies that say they want moms. They don't want mom problems. And Fox worked with me. I mean, I was trying to balance the kids, pregnancy, nursing, Sean, and I would just come in twice a month and do a bunch of hits. We were doing this on our own, managing schedules, one taking the other. And we had probably five or six kids at the time. She was so supportive of my career and my dreams, and she'd put me in a really great place. And it put me in a place where I'm like, okay, well, she has a really great opportunity. We have to now manage this together. How do I step up and take some of the weight off of her so she can actually run and do some of these things at Fox?
1:10What's the hardest number of kids? One. Yeah, one.
1:23Katie Miller:Hi everyone and welcome to this week's episode of the Katie Miller podcast. We're back in Washington, D.C. today joined by Sean and Rachel Duffy. Hey, good morning. And my baby. You're okay. And your baby. And my baby. Rachel wanted her baby fixed so we're going to do the podcast with the baby. He's not going to get it together. He gets thrown off set. Wait, he's been fine. He's been so fine Until we just started filming. And then we started, he's like, I'm not going to fuss. He's like, oh, the cameras are on. Okay, okay, okay. Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh. Oh, yeah. We're good. You're under pressure.
1:49Katie Miller:You guys just released your Great American Road Trip. What was the best part of filming? Well, getting together with the family. Listen, we had cameras around. It's not exactly like the way you would do it, so it was a little bit more complicated, but it was great to plan it. Where are we going to go? Have the kids input and just get in the car. You guys met filming on the real world. Is that the inspiration is to just keep the reality TV show going? We met on a road trip. So this was like just taking it into the next stage of your lives? Not necessarily. I had to think about it later. Rachel was like, we actually met on a road trip.
2:25We were trying to be as innovative as possible at DOT. Because the president wants all of us to celebrate America 250. What could we do to celebrate America's birthday? And one is going to happen right now with the Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., which was our partnership with Penske and the president pushing this. It's going to be absolutely epic. But then we came up with this concept of doing a road trip. For America to go out and see the country and love the country and you love it when you see it, I think is really important. And it's so Americana. I don't know if you took a road trip yourself.
3:00My mom and dad took us on road trips. Rachel had the same experience. and it's great to see things you've never seen before. You spend time with your family in the car. Like as we were in Wisconsin, we would do two-day, two-and-a-half-day trips to Florida or to California or to Arizona, always somewhere warmer than Wisconsin. And it was the best memories I have growing up. And I thought, well, let's do this with our family. You know, it's interesting the left world, they lose their minds over things like a road trip like this. Like, oh my God, you filmed it for seven months straight, you don't do it.
3:32We rifle-shotted into different places with the kids, so we were traveling, it was chaos, but it was a lot of fun that we spent this time together and shot this little series to hopefully inspire Americans to get out. So for 20 years, or more than that, we've had different production companies come and say, would you do a reality TV show? Would you do a reality TV show? With the family. With our family, because we met on a reality TV show, we're the first reality TV couple to get married. We are definitely the most fertile reality TV couple We
4:04Katie Miller:But you got a lot of flack for doing it while he was secretary Right, but we decided to do it For this We never did it for money We never did it for when the Kardashian people called it And the Lifetime and all these different networks We never did it But we thought, let's just do this It's very limited You know, it's not like we're exposing our kids For like, you know, a year It's like a couple days here, a couple days there And a limited thing in honor of our country. Look, there's a lot of things that are. Okay, let's pause. He's okay. I'm going to take him off. So over the course of our marriage for over 20 years, we have been approached by different production companies to do a reality television show and with our family.
4:43And we've always said no. And, um, well, Sean said how much, just kidding. Um, but we never did it. And then we decided with this one, we thought this is for a good cause. It's for America 250. We live in a country where modern culture is set up to tear us apart from our families, to distract us, to disorient us from what's really important, which is family. And so I think this road trip idea wasn't just about going to see our beautiful country and reconnecting with our citizens and figuring out who we are, because we are going through an identity crisis.
5:24Katie Miller:I think he's just tired. He's going to push the stroller in there and put him on his tummy or in the sleep sack. Sorry. That's okay, guys. The idea of a road trip isn't just about reconnecting with your family and rediscovering America and dealing with this identity crisis that we're having. It is about, ultimately, our country is as strong as our families. And a road trip is a great bonding experience. One thing, our kids are on their phones all the time. Yeah. When we start to travel, and you get them to put their phones away, and they can't go to the neighbor's house. They can't go to their friend's house.
5:59They can't get away from you because you're in the car together. And a unique family bonding experience happens when you do that. And so it is seen in the country, but it's a time that you share memories and share experiences and also do it not through a screen, but you do it in real life through the window of your car. you experience this adventure together.
6:19Katie Miller:You went viral for telling your daughter that you'd rather her go to heaven, not Harvard. That's Rachel's line. Okay, so heaven, not Harvard. Would you ever allow your children to be on The Real World? That's a good question.
6:36So, by the way, once you get to a certain age, they make the decision for themselves, right? That's right. We can advise them. My mom didn't want me to do The Real World, and I did it anyway, you know? I got to meet him as a result. But did I do some things I regret and were stupid? Of course I did. But it depends. I did more stupid things than she did. That's true. That's true. I would say it depends on the child. Just like with Harvard, it depends on the child. You know, this whole debate, we were just, before we came in here, we went to a coffee shop to grab some coffee and a man stopped me and was like, basically said, we love this debate about elite universities and America's having this conversation, at least conservative parents are.
7:19And I think it depends on the kid. I mean, some kids, they can go to an elite university with all the radicalization and all the Marxism and all the woke stuff that's happening and they're gonna come out fine, maybe even stronger. Others, you'll lose them to the craziness and they'll come back hating you and the values you taught them. So that's a debate Americans are having. I'm glad Sean engaged in that. Because it was real. But there was an arc to that story. My position was, no, I don't want you to go to Harvard. And then we went up to Boston and looked at schools, and I went to the Merchant Marine Academy game versus the Coast Guard, Secretary's Cup is what it's called.
8:02And during the course of the visit to the school, and we went to the Catholic Church, and we had an experience at Harvard, had an experience with priests. And in the end, I was like, you know what? if you get in and this is what you want to do, I'm okay with you going. But it was based on a really thoughtful conversation that we had with the Catholic priest that the Internet's not showing, where he actually said, listen, he showed us what was happening with the Catholic community at Harvard. They have a record number every year now of Catholic converts at Harvard. And the Catholic community is thriving.
8:37And so if you send your kid there and they actually partake in this community, I think that they will be fine. The question is, are we arming our children with the values and the courage to be able to withstand what they're going to be facing there and that they will have their morals intact when they're done? And I think that's the question parents, not just Christian parents, but any parent who has traditional values is asking when they send their kids to this school. And I think it's a worthwhile discussion. And because they all know someone, whether it's themselves, a family member, a neighbor who sent a very well-raised conservative child off to one of these universities and the kid comes back radicalized.
9:34They've all heard the story. They all know someone. They all know a child who that's happened to. And if they love their kids, they don't want that to happen to their kids. And so that is a debate that they have in the home. And what's been, can I just say this? What's been remarkable in this? We'll leave this podcast. I'm sorry.
9:49Katie Miller:It's like you get two TV media personalities and you're like, here we are. What's remarkable to me is that the left seems to not know that there are parents out there who are questioning the value of an elite university education. That's why homeschool rates are higher than they've ever been. That's right. You both have had two very big careers and at different times. You've raised children. You were in Congress. At what point was it that you said, I'm going to take a step back, focus on the kids, or I'm going to take a step up and focus on the kids? Because to this discussion, you've both raised conservative children who are following in your footsteps.
10:29Katie Miller:So how have you made that decision? They all have different ideas. Let me be clear. When we sit at a kitchen table over dinner, there's a lot of discussion. There's a lot of disagreements about all kinds of different things. The only thing that I really care about is are they still – do they love God? Are they faithful Catholics? Do they go to Mass? That's the stuff I really worry about. I don't worry about the other stuff as much. which they all do. A lot of people see my career now and they say, how did she do it? I was an at-home mom for 14 years. I married John and I moved to a little town in Wisconsin.
11:072 ,000 people. Yeah, with only 2 ,000 people. I moved her from Beverly Hills. Yeah, I was living in Beverly Hills. And I moved her to a 2 ,000 person town, northern Wisconsin.
11:16Katie Miller:Do you think if social media was as big as it is now that you would have, you know we all see these videos online of this postpartum depression and these women like throwing ice in the bathtubs I don't know if you've seen this if that's how they solve their postpartum rage do you think if you know social media is as big back then that you would have had such an issue moving to a small town having this many kids just being happy in your own home no I don't think social media would have impacted that I'm I moved there because I love Sean and we had made a deal I was up for the view when we got married.
11:50And I said to him, if I get the view, we're going to move to New York. If I don't get the view, I'm going to move to your town. I didn't get the view. She didn't tell me that. We had a debate and a conversation. We both agreed to that. Yeah, we agreed. That's true. That's fair. That's fair. But that was the decision. I mean, if I got it, you were going to move. If I didn't, and I didn't get it. And I thought I was going to get it. And I didn't get it. And I kept my promise and I moved there. and it was the best decision that God made for me. And we were there and we just had baby after baby and I was an at-home mom for 14 years.
12:24And I think that was very stabilizing for me.
12:27Katie Miller:Is there a reason you say at-home versus stay-at-home mom? I don't know. No? No. Okay. Stay-at-home, fine. Stay-at-home. I was just curious. It's no different. But I think that was magical for us, one, for the family, but two, for our careers. So when Rachel stayed home with the kids for the 14 years, when we had the stability in the home, but what happened is all her eggs were in my basket. She helped me in a profound way. When I ran for Congress, I had one person on my team. I had nobody that would, everyone thought I'd lose. I ran against a 42-year incumbent. I had one person. It was Rachel.
13:03Everyone said I'd lose. She said I'd win. and if she had her own full-time job, she couldn't have put the effort and time and thought into helping me navigate what was one of the toughest races in the country. And so because of that, I was able to go to Congress and also it was coming at a time when she had the ability to go, oh, I wanna do some other things as well. And she was able to get a job that let her stay at home still, but also do some consulting work that then led into Fox.
13:32Katie Miller:The New York Times wrote a hit piece on Jen Hegseth claiming that, you know, Pete and her, she couldn't be his top advisor simply because she's not employed in the Pentagon. I see two of you work together very beautifully, right? You are his best consultant. He's probably your best consultant and best partner. Every political marriage, the only person in the, you know, candidate, politician, secretary's life who has no angle except what's best for that person is the wife. I mean, know that from your own marriage. So, you know, maybe she's a little more out front inside of the Pentagon. Okay. But make no mistake, the best politicians have really smart wives who help them decide and debate and discern what the best moves are and who are the best people around them.
14:24So because Rachel's not in all of my meetings, doesn't get all the briefs that I get, sometimes she'll come and say, hey, you need to do this and this and this. I'll be like, well, hold on a second. I can't do that. So I'll give her additional information. But it's the pressure that I get from Rachel in my job about what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, who's involved in the team. It makes me way better. And I look at Pete and Jen, and Pete is blessed to have someone like Jen Hexeth partnering with him. Now, she probably can't get into every skiff with all the knowledge and information that Pete has, but she's really smart, and Pete is better because of Jen.
15:04And they also make it sound like Jen. I mean, Jen is doing a lot of stuff for military spouses. God bless her. I mean, that's a great thing to do. I'm the daughter of a military spouse. It's really difficult work. It's often forgotten that the wife is also deployed, whether she's stateside or traveling and moving around. My mother did so much to like moving and unpacking and where are we going to go to school? And her career was she was never able to have a career because of all that she's doing. And so I love that Jen Egg Seth has taken on that role. It's not like she's in making, you know, bombing decisions in Iran.
15:41I mean, she's she's advising her husband and she's taken on the role with military spouses.
15:47Katie Miller:So after 14 years at home, how did you make the decision to return to work? How did you get your job at Fox? So I started working for an organization called Libra Initiative that needed someone to help them with communications and to talk about economic liberty and freedom issues in the Hispanic community. And in doing that, I ended up talking about it also on Fox News. And I started to build relationships there. And eventually I became a contributor. and then eventually the host of the weekend show. But it was, I didn't get my dream job till I was, you know, 50. Literally, I have a picture in my office, which was interesting.
16:33One of the executives bought me flowers when I got the job and it was on the desk. And I had an office. It was the first time I had an office in my life because I married Sean in my office. Helping him through Congress was our kitchen table. I didn't have an office. so it was kind of interesting to have an office for the first time but um it was a slog i when i was a contributor i would travel to new york twice a month and i only have this job because fox actually walks the walk you know there's a lot of companies that say they want moms but they don't want mom problems and fox worked with me so when i was a contributor um there was a a booker a god bless her, Megan Brown.
17:20And, um, and I had executives, Lauren Patterson, and also especially Suzanne Scott, who was a real champion of mine. And they would let me come in when it worked. I mean, I was trying to balance the kids, pregnancy, nursing, Sean, and I would just come in twice a month and do a bunch of hits. And I did that for years and it was hard. You know, I still get PTSD going through the airport because I think about how I did it when I was like seven months pregnant, carry my luggage. But I did it and it paid off because in the end they ended up hiring me. So my philosophy on all of this with all the messages going to women about work-life balance and career versus this, I say the most important thing is to prioritize your love life.
18:03If you prioritize your love life, your dreams will be a lot easier to obtain because you'll have somebody who supports you. Just on the question for Rachel, how did she get the job? If we think back to that time in our life, I was in Congress, and I had a really hard district. I was working all the time. So I'm in D.C., and then when I went back to Wisconsin, I was traveling on the weekends. It was a stressful, full schedule for me. At the same time, Rachel had some opportunities to go out and do some work for Fox in New York. And just the management of how I have to get home because she's going to leave, And then I got the kids until she gets back, which is, which is, um, it was, it was, it was really great.
18:44So supportive. Um, and we're not a fan. Just some people are like, so how much help do you have? Like that's us. We managed most of it. We had Mrs. Candy help us out. So a couple of years, a couple of years into this, Ms. Candy did come in and would help us if there was a gap in time and she was a lifesaver. But we, we were doing this on our own, managing schedules, one taking the other. And we had probably five or six kids at the time. Yeah. And she was so supportive of my career and my dreams, and she'd put me in a really great place. And it put me in a place where I'm like, okay, well, she has a really great opportunity.
19:21We have to now manage this together. How do I step up and take some of the weight off of her so she can actually run and do some of these things at Fox?
19:28Katie Miller:What's the hardest number of kids? One. Yeah, one. What was the hardest age gap? Like jump from, was it like zero to one, one to two, two to three, four to five? Because I feel like after four to five, you're like all gravy. Oh yeah, I mean, I think after four, it's like there's no difference. Like they're all gravy. I think at three, because I think the biggest point is if you have an older child, like you're seven, eight, nine, they then start to help, which is great, right? They can throw away a diaper. Yeah, they can. And then you start to get into the 10s, 12s, 13s. Like then you're in the money zone.
20:04Katie Miller:And then when they drive, life changed. Even better. Yeah, life changed. What's one thing about the other person that still drives you crazy? She's perfect. Oh man, that is so not true. Listen, Sean is kind of messy and I'm very neat and I need a lot of order to function in my life and so that's difficult for me. What's something you still - Hold on a second, she burns hot. That's true. So sometimes I'm like, listen, this is not, you don't have to start. You have to go to 10. You can start at five. Use your inside voice right now. Inside voice, this is not the outside voice issue. He chose to marry a Latina.
20:50He knew what he was getting into. And then when I reciprocate this for her, she's like, stop. There's only room for one Latina this way. I do say that.
20:58Katie Miller:What's something you still disagree about? what do we disagree? Listen, we have disagreements on the kids. We have disagreements on... On everything. We disagree about a lot of stuff. I think the secret to a good marriage is to get it out. I mean, we often say that, you know, when people say, we never fight, something's brewing. They're going to get divorced. Like, if you don't talk about it a lot, problems fester. And so we talk a lot about stuff, a lot about our marriage, a lot about what's going on. Our marriage, our kids, our careers, we talk a lot. And when there's disagreements, we actually, we call it, we kick a dead horse.
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21:43Like we actually come back and go over it. And usually the later answer is better than the first conclusion we came to because we work through it. Yeah, we talk and talk and talk about it. And miraculously at the end, the solution comes through or some sort of agreement. 100%.
22:03Katie Miller:Can you tell? There's always one person in the marriage who yells, the other person who goes quiet, and the two of them shall marry. Have you not seen all the memes about Latina moms? They're all on my feed. Yeah, you are kind of me. I was going to say, no, you're not. No, I mean, I don't yell unnecessarily, but am I like, I am not a... Loud to get your point across. I get my point across. She's not a soft talker. Yeah. By any stretch. Who's the stricter parent? Me. Rachel. Who has the harder schedule right now? Sean. How did you know you wanted to be Secretary of Transportation? I didn't. I wanted to work with the president.
22:45He is the most amazing man and the most amazing president. And I thought it would be a blessing to work with someone that is as unique of a mind as his. And he doesn't disappoint.
22:59Katie Miller:What was harder, being NASA administrator or secretary of the Department of Transportation? Both have problems. They're both hard. Doing them at the same time was hard. When people complain about their flights being delayed or being stuck on a tarmac, how often do you get phone calls? A lot. Text messages. And are you able to fix that for people? Sometimes. How often does Rachel call you if she's stuck on a plane? Every time. And it's never helpful. I'm like, this job has no power. Okay, so we had one where we were at an event together and we flew to Chicago. And she was going to fly to New Jersey and I had to fly somewhere else.
23:39I got her there at 8 o 'clock, an 8 o 'clock flight, and she left at 10 o 'clock at night. She spent the whole day. The Chicago airport. I had missed my show the next day because it was a weather issue. When you get storms on the East Coast, I can't change the weather. But I am going to change how we navigate the weather. That's on the horizon.
23:57Katie Miller:So we see all the time, famous people, not famous people, post on X that my flight's delayed. Hey, American, I'm stuck. We're waiting for a gate. The gate says we're waiting for a bigger plane or something. How often is that an airline issue versus the Department of Transportation issue? So this is usually an airline issue, right? It's airlines, it's weather, and to a lesser extent, it is a DOT. That's right now. But the fixes that we have coming, and just to be clear, I've been here for a year and a half. This project has been rolling for about a year. And it's every airport. All this infrastructure, all the software has to be developed, It has to be built for us.
24:40And so people think that we get money and we snap our fingers and it's going to be fixed. It's like, no, this is a made-to-order bill. But you guys are moving rapidly. Like, if you go talk to anyone in aviation, I go to the towers all the time when I travel. The controllers are shocked at all the equipment that's coming in and how fast it's coming in. So we're replacing all of the equipment, the radios and the radar and voice switches and new equipment in the tower. Thank you. Let me take it over here. This looks out for me. I got it. I got it here. But the magic of fixing travel is going to be new software.
25:15So think of this. If I build you a brand new computer and I put Windows 95, which is probably before your time, software into the computer, that brand new awesome computer will run like it's Windows 95. It's a software that actually makes the computer run more efficiently and better with all the new tools. We're building that now and it's going to be a slow roll, but we are going to have better flight scheduling. So there's built-in delays in the system every single day because you have airlines.
25:44Katie Miller:How often is the airline problem just restarting the computer? Not that often, but sometimes that's it. But you have built-in delays where you have too many arrivals and departures in a 15-minute time period. And they scheduled it that way. So you're going to have delays in the system. We're not going to put up with that anymore. We'll have AI to help us manage that. So they spread it out so that... Take out the peaks. Yeah. I can move flights later and earlier. So you're contracting AI now to be able to better schedule flights. Not contracting. We're going to use AI, right? And companies are going to help us deploy.
26:16But in weather, we just shut down airspace when there's bad weather. And sometimes you have a weather shutdown at an airport and you look out and you're like, it's blue skies. What's going on? So AI will help us better find routes in weather that helps us keep airplanes flying safely, by the way. But new tools coming into the system to manage how we have this flow of airplanes continuing will make magic.
26:46Katie Miller:Another big controversy in air travel is families. Yes. How much, like I would say, aggressive action does the department take when you see a report that says, you know, there's a mandated rule where my family has to be together on an airplane and they've separated us and then the family gets moved off the airplane? Or when a family's traveling and then there's issues and the airlines aren't being cooperative in that situation? Those get reported, I presume, to the department. So just to answer that question, but first, we took a billion dollars and we are deploying that to airports for family-friendly travel.
27:20I care about families and how they travel. And I think we think about the business traveler, the single traveler.
27:25Katie Miller:I don't travel because of how terrible it is. Really? Yeah, we do not travel at all because I absolutely can't stand being in an airport or flying with my kids. We had a bad experience once with, it was when I had two kids and was pregnant and we got moved off the airplane because the car seat wasn't fitting on the seat right and the flight attendant which I knew the rules the flight attendant didn't and we got moved off the airplane to the next one and I'm like this just shouldn't be a thing I've also had it where I was traveling with three kids alone and one of the kids was seated elsewhere and they couldn't get us all together and so then we had to get this happened to me one time this was years ago and they we were separated and I was like one of the last people on the plane and so I thought for sure somebody was going to move.
28:10And so the flight attendant said, would somebody be willing to move so that this little child can sit next to her, the parent? And no one moved. And so I looked at everybody and I said, all of your mothers are ashamed of you right now. And then some guy sheepishly got up and my little daughter was like going to cry. She thought she'd have to sit next with stranger and they, but part of it is yes, the airline, but part of it, I think is what Sean talked about, which was civility. I mean, I can tell when, cause I would make that, that trek, as I told you between the Midwest to New York city all the time.
28:51And I would do it with kids because I, a lot of times I had a baby in tow when I would go work for Fox when I was a contributor and I could tell in the Midwest, people would grab my back, put it up, help me. are you okay? Is there anything? Do you need anything? And the closer I got to New York, the less people cared. That's a civility issue. So there's rules in place, right?
29:13Katie Miller:We want kids - But even so I'm going to preface this by saying, I know what the mom blog said, that I should buy the ticket or pay the expense to have my kids seated together. And I will say this out loud, we do pay for it. And oftentimes you cannot pay to have you all seated together. And so that then leads it on the airlines as saying, like, shouldn't we be harsher on them to make sure families are seated together? So I think what you see is they bend over backwards to make sure families do sit together. They do try. It's not helpful to have families separated. Listen, I'm the Secretary of Transportation.
29:39I control the FAA. I had one flight. We were all flying. And we didn't have—they had Valentina, my six-year-old with Downs, sitting by herself. And they couldn't fix it. And I said, good. Don't fix it. Good luck with that. Well, I'll put her in—it's going to be a great flight. I'm going to put her with some stranger and we'll see how this flight goes. Someone's going to volunteer to let her sit with us. But I think this is over. It is over reported. Yes, it happens on occasion. And yes, sometimes they can't manage it. But the airlines want families to travel and they want them to sit together.
30:15They don't want you to book a premium seat and then put your kids in back and then go, hey, you all get a move up to premium. You might go, well, you might all have to go back in the last row by the bathrooms where I usually sit when I travel as a secretary. You might sit back there. And if you look at when you try to book, the last two rows are always not booked because they try to keep those for families that are going to have to book into them.
30:39Katie Miller:When the president asked you to serve as secretary of transportation, what was the conversation like between the two of you? Were you right on board? Were you pushing him to say, let's do this? I think Sean answered that. He said he wanted to serve the president in any way. He ended up in transportation because that means I was all about it. But the president told me, and I believe this with him, he said, if it wasn't the president, I would pick the Department of Transportation of any department. It's the best department. And I'm going to give it to you because he's a builder. And whether it's roads and bridges, he's talking about concrete and bridges and designs and colors.
31:15And he loves aviation so that we have a president who cares about the infrastructure of America. Usually presidents don't give a shh. Darn. He did say,
31:26Katie Miller:don't F it up. Don't F it up. Is there ever a time on Fox when you know something internally or you're saying something or reporting something and you're like, well, this could make it awkward for me given your dual role? I don't talk about anything to do with transportation and Fox wouldn't want me to and I don't want to. But is there anything like about the administration or about the president that like you say and you're like, eww.
31:50No, I mean, I mean, I'm probably I mean, I don't have an example, but yeah, I mean, I love it. It's no secret that Rachel Campbell's stuff loves President Donald Trump. I mean, I was with him when he came down the escalator. I was I was very early on. And even in the dark years, you know, when he was out when he was out of office and and people didn't, you know, had a lot of beef with him and he was facing all the criminal charges. I believed he was being persecuted. And I said so publicly many times.
32:21Katie Miller:you guys have nine kids. I've asked this question privately, but we're going to ask it on the record. How did you decide to have nine? What point were you like, one more, one more, one more? We're Catholic. I've never been on birth control. Fox News Alert. And it's, so we just can't, we just take whatever God gives us. And so every pregnancy was a surprise. Every pregnancy was unplanned. And they're all blessings. And there was a time when we didn't have a lot of money. I was a prosecutor. Wait, wait, pause for a second. We all know how babies are made. How are they a surprise? Well, what I'm saying is...
32:56They're not made every time. I'll tell you this. I have never said to my husband, we should have a baby. Okay. That sentence has never come out of my mouth. Other Catholics have said this to me,
33:08Katie Miller:and I've always wanted to ask the follow-up, except now I'm doing it on air, because other Catholics who had that many children, the Cipollonis are one, and she said the exact same answer. And I'm like, but we know how babies are made. Yeah, so we enjoy each other's company. and then sometimes babies come. But we've never said, I want to have a baby. Let's work on having a baby. Luckily, God, you know, and it's a blessing. I've never had, you know, issues with fertility. The babies have just come. And it is, I mean, I'm glad you brought up this topic because it is a topic of conversation now. We have, you know, a lot of young women who are deciding to freeze their eggs in hopes of having it later.
33:48And there's a lot of discussion about when, what the reality is biology is real. And there's a certain amount of years where you are more fertile and more likely to get pregnant. And, um, and it's also easier to, you have the energy when you're younger, um, to have, have a baby. I've had babies in my late twenties and almost 50. And it's, it's, it's a very different experience. You get a lot, you have, I had a lot more wisdom and a lot more of that, but it is more taxing on your energy level. And so itching to get it on this. No, I'll just say, in all the conversations that I have with men who are a little bit older, no one has ever told me that I wish I had fewer kids.
34:31That was a mistake. Invariably, they will say, I wish I had more kids.
34:36Katie Miller:100%, by the way. No one's ever said that to me until now I have four. I get that said to me every single time I have. Totally. That I wish I had more kids. I wish I had more. Yep. That's the number one refrain I've heard since I've had four kids. I have a friend who is a cardiologist. They also have nine kids. And I asked him one time, I was like, what do you, you're around people who are dying all the time. Like, what do they tell you? I wish I had more kids. I wish I'd had more kids. That's, that's what most people say. And, you know, it's, it, it, is it, is it the easiest thing that you do?
35:02No, it's, it's hard. You, you, it's, you give a lot, um, when you have a little baby and when they're, when they're, when they're growing up. But the fruit of that labor gives so much joy. And that's why at the end people say, oh gosh, I wish I would have done more of this. That's why I always tell people, don't think about how many kids you want in this moment. because you know, having a little baby, it takes a lot of work. Okay, well, I want five today,
35:25Katie Miller:so having a little baby makes me want another. Yeah, you have that feeling, but it is a lot of work. I mean, let's be really honest. It takes a lot out of you. I say to young women, think about not how many you want in this moment, this period of your life. How many do you want around your Thanksgiving table 20 years from now? Or on Christmas morning. Or on Christmas morning, yeah. How many grandkids do you want? What's the biggest transportation problem facing America that keeps you up at night? So the biggest issue I work on is aviation. It takes a majority of my time. When I got this job, someone told me it's 70 % of the job, and I didn't believe them, and it's a lot because we are doing so much so fast.
36:03Katie Miller:You said the US can't afford to lose the autonomous vehicle race to China, but at the same time, some of the regulations that the AV industry is waiting on may not be finalized for a while. Are we doing anything to speed up that timeline? So listen, I'm going at lightning speed with AVs. If you ask AV companies, they love what we've done to set them free. This is my philosophy. If I move the regulations too slow, we kill innovation, we kill the companies, or they'll go overseas. If I go too fast, though, and AVs aren't ready for the rules that I give them, people get hurt. So I have to find the Goldilocks approach.
36:40What is the right stage of where we're at with AVs setting them loose? And also, if you have an accident, then you get overcorrection of regulations, too. So I drive my FSD every single place. The biggest problem we have is we need one federal standard. The Congress has to say, hey, the federal government should regulate these standards. We shouldn't have every state individually say yes or no in what they're going to allow, what they're not going to allow. It's a hodgepodge. Let us set one standard. That's the biggest issue, I think, for AVs right now.
37:09Katie Miller:So do you think it's a congressional law versus DOT regulation? 100%. I would listen if I talk to the AV companies all the time we are we are pushing and allowing them to do more So if you have an autonomous vehicle Do you need rearview mirrors? Do you need windshield wipers? Do you need a brake pedal gas pedal? Do you need a steering wheel like there's a whole bunch of conversations we have to have about What we think we need in an automobile versus if it's autonomous what actually should it have and we had this issue with with an autonomous trucking company. If you get a flat tire, the rule was you have to go out and put the little triangles when you have a flat tire on the other side of the road.
37:48You got to go put the triangle out. Well an autonomous vehicle can't put out a triangle. And that was the rule. So we modified it and we let them put a strobe light, which by the way is way smarter, way easier to see.
37:59Katie Miller:I wonder how many people are dying by putting out the triangles on the road and dark at night. 100%. No, I drive my FSD absolutely everywhere and it is a much safer driver than I am. I've noticed I'm a much calmer driver when the car is in FSD. I think it would be a better driver than me, too. Rachel, for sure. Yeah. Her and I are very similar in this regard. And so Tesla has stats that it's seven times safer to be in a car with FSD than not. And so why wouldn't we move as fast as we can? They're all, I think, very pleased at how fast. That's the comments I get. They don't come and say, would you go faster?
38:31Could you do more quickly? We have done so much in regard to autonomous for unleashing drone dominance. The Evital's advanced air mobility, these vertical... We have pushed regulation to the point where I think we do maintain safety, but we allow them to continue to grow.
38:54Katie Miller:DOT has been undergoing a massive technology modernization. What was the state of DOT systems like at FAA when you walked in the door? So the equipment's all very safe, but it's all really, really old. We did have the floppy disks. The computers were ancient. If you watch an old 1980s movie, it's like the little push buttons. Stranger Things. Yeah. Thank you. Yes. So that's the aviation side. But even like DOT proper, the equipment that we use, the software that we use, the servers that we have, it's all old. And so the problem is, it's been old for a long time. When does a secretary come in and go, listen, no, no, no, no.
39:38We're going to redo all of this. And that's what I think. We were getting parts off of eBay. Like when the parts broke, they had to go to eBay to get them because they're no longer made. That's crazy.
39:47Katie Miller:We talked about AI being used for the weather, for scheduling flights. Is there other places you guys are going to use AI in the department? So we can use AI in trucking. We can use, like, listen, AI can be used everywhere. 100%. So I think, and so I just want to be clear for anyone who's going to complain about this podcast, I'm not going to turn the skies over to AI. Computers are not going to manage the skies. That's where I was going next is we'll always be a person in the towers. Always we're going to have a person managing the space. But it's analogous to the old flip phone. And if you're going to send a text on the old flip phone, you had to hit the number one, one, two, or three times to get A, B, or C.
40:23And now you can do voice to text, giving controllers more tools to use to take the stress out of the day and to drive safety into the tower is what we're trying to look for. And so if we're like, no, the only tool you can have was the 1980, 1990 tool, that's bullshit. Let's give them the best tools to drive the best safety and let the computers help them do their job better.
40:44Katie Miller:Do you use AI personally? Yeah. What do you use? Claude. Why? Why Claude? Have you used all them? For the record, I toggle between every single one. I don't. I only have clogged. So what it does is - I don't use AI. Why not? I don't even know how to. I'm not very interested in it. So we bought a property and I have like all these different factors that I'm putting in and I want to know how I can minimize my tax to get the biggest write-off. Yeah. Everybody should try to minimize their tax though. I got to tell you what, it gave me the greatest, if you do this and you do that, the greatest rundown of what has to happen to minimize my taxes.
41:19and so what I can and cannot do. And I call my accountant and the accountant knows some of it, but I'm like, but AI told me blah, blah, blah, blah.
41:26Katie Miller:So it is the power of the tool to walk you through. Complex is incredible. It's absolutely incredible. Would you rather have to participate in one more MTV challenge tomorrow or have one more baby at your current stage of life? Do you know that he won the challenge? He won$50 ,000 on a car on the MTV challenge. How much did you pay in those taxes? Actually, MTV paid the taxes for me on the car at least. Wow, that's so nice. It was so good of them. I want two cars, by the way. MTV's been good to us. They have been. Sean, would you rather explain air traffic control modernization to Congress for six hours or assemble nine car seats without instructions?
42:03Oh, I'd explain air traffic control to Congress because I get excited. This is really cool. Love to talk about it.
42:10Katie Miller:Rachel, would you rather interview President Trump with zero prep or take all of your kids and grandkids through TSA with no pre-check by yourself? Oh my God, having a conversation with President Trump is very fun and entertaining. If you've had dinner with the president, they're the most fun dinners you've ever had. And no prep is the best, by the way, because it goes in all different directions. 100%. Would you rather eat gas station sushi or drink milk that expired last week? Milk that expired last week. That's a disagreement. There you go. I think the expiration, I keep telling my kids, just because it expired yesterday doesn't mean the milk is bad.
42:44Katie Miller:I agree with you. Would you rather go through potty training nine more times or teach nine more teenagers how to drive? So do you want to know the dirty little secret about Rachel Campo Stuffy? Yeah. I've never potty trained one of my kids. You've potty trained? No. They've potty trained themselves? At around two years old, I take them to my mother's house in Arizona, and my mother has potty trained every single one of my kids. and she's way more disciplined. Her schedule is much more predictable. She's in Arizona. So, and she has this beautiful balcony so she can keep the kids outside on the balcony without any diaper and just a little potty chair.
43:23And she's a master. And I just love my mother so much. She's been such a help. So she hasn't potty trained kids and she hasn't taught any kids to drive. That's been me. But I'll tell you this, what's great with so many kids is I was not a good instructor. I was like, I was so freaked out when I was teaching them to drive at the start. And now I'm on driver number five. Yeah, five. Way better. I'm way calmer, way more collected. And I think the other kids are like, how was this driver with my dad? And they're like, it was pretty good. That is the best part. Because the first experience was not as good.
43:57But you bring up a good point in that the best part about having a lot of kids is you get a lot of do-overs. And so you get to get better at it as you have more. You're a better parent. 100%, by the way.
44:09Katie Miller:100%. Would you rather spend a month living in an MTV house with your old castmates or have President Trump watch your entire MTV archive? I'd rather President Trump watch my archive. What's a conspiracy theory that you believe in? Oh, God. Which one don't we believe in? Which one don't I believe in? Don't even get me started. All right, pick one. Conspiracy. Well, I'm with RFK on the vaccines. What's yours? I believe in a lot of them. I can't even, I agree with the vaccines. I don't, I don't. He's a lot more sensible. They used to say when he was in Congress that Sean lived in a 50-50 district, but Rachel lived in a plus 20.
44:53It is true. Yeah, I just, I don't, I, we are pretty mad. But I fill them in on all the conspiracies. I do. Here's the problem that I think we've come to is we've been lied to so often. Amen. And over and over and over again. I mean, even like this Russia collusion, from Russia collusion to COVID and the lab leak theory and to vaccines, all of this has just been lie after lie after lie. And I just, I have a hard time believing in the government anymore. Well, and I think as citizens, it's our job to be suspicious of the government. Like when people complain about like people questioning things, I'm like, we're Americans.
45:30That's what we do. We don't trust the government. Like that's what it is to be American.
45:34Katie Miller:Do you find you're still questioning other like cabinet secretaries when you see something in the news and you're like, but is that true? Because I know I certainly do. Because I'm still distrustful of the government, understanding we're in the government. So I find myself asking questions when I see something. Yeah, I have a lot of questions. I have a lot of questions about. Where's our nuclear scientists? That's the one I want to know. You know, they all went missing or dead. Oh, right. Yes, yes, yes. I want to know what happened there. I want to know everything. What's your most liberal take?
46:05Well, I'm very anti-war, so that's my most liberal take. I'm not. I don't think I have any liberal tendencies. No, I'll tell you this. So, okay, this is liberal, but it's become more conservative. I do believe in organic food, knowing where your food comes from. I believe in grass-fed. Sean was on the board of the, you know, My local co-op. Organic co-op. He was the only Republican on the board. I believe that we should, like, regenerative farming, not using chemicals. He's a total crunchy con. So when I'm out of this job, I'm going to get a farm, and I am going to do a, I'm going to figure out how to regeneratively farm and not use chemicals.
46:43And I think our food has gotten so distorted with all of the chemicals and crap. Pesticides. We don't know where our food comes from. And so I'm, that used to be a liberal, but the conservatives are actually grabbing this. But we were like this for a long time. His mom was basically a hippie, kind of hippie-ish. Kind of a crunchy conservative. What's the best thing Rachel cooks? I can't pick. Listen, she is an amazing cook. But what was great was when we first got married, she couldn't cook anything. She was horrible. She'd burn stuff. I was a good prepper. I prepped for my mom. But I didn't have to cook.
47:12She can cook. She can just say what's in the house and whip something up that is the most delicious thing ever. What's the best thing Sean cooks? I don't like anything Sean cooks. Oh, actually, I take that back. He makes good ribs. He makes great ribs. And he makes an excellent, the best smash burger you've ever had. So there's two things he can do. Thank you. But I do great Mexican. I make, you know, lamb tacos. What's your favorite thing to cook? Soup, stews. He loves when I make soups and stews. And with a big family, I end up doing that a lot. But I... My steaks are pretty good, too. Yeah, he does a good steak.
47:44That's fair.
47:45Katie Miller:Window or aisle seat? Oh, window. Oh, aisle. Who sits in the middle then? Rachel, if we have to pick, then Rachel sits in the middle. That's not true. Yeah, well, sometimes. Sometimes you're in the middle, so I can... I like to cuddle up. Okay, no, here. If I have the aisle seat and she doesn't have a window, she'll sit in the middle. If she has a window seat, I'll sit in the middle so she can mess up her little five-foot body into the seat and fall asleep. What's the best day you've had on the job?
48:17Listen, there's been so many great days. But the best I think is, whether it's in the Oval or having conversations with the president, and I've seen how he's cut many deals for us in aviation and saved us a ton of money. So those days to truly see him at his finest, like the President Trump operation, when he's actually fully engaged, is by far the best. He cut a deal for us with our contractor. And the deal that we had negotiated to is$1.7 billion. They're doing a lot of work in aviation. He's like, I think I can get it for$1.5 billion. He called the CEO, said it's a huge deal. In the Oval. Huge deal.
48:58Everybody wants this deal. I'm going to give you this deal, but I need it for$1.5 billion. So a$200 million savings. He told the CEO, call me back in five minutes. And the CEO called back in eight minutes and said he would do it for us for$1.5 billion. I mean, these are huge numbers. So those are the kind of things to see have been the best days in the job for me.
49:19Katie Miller:What's the best event you've been to? Oh, I would say it's a tie. UFC was amazing. and the Andrea Bocelli concert inside of the East Room was... Out of this world. I agree. Out of body, out of this world. I agree. And those two? I think my favorite one was the Bocelli concert. Yeah, it was incredible. That's when you felt the most special of all of the White House events I've ever been to. Do you remember the way they projected the garden scene? It was so incredible. The producer is Julius Nasso, Andrea Bocelli's producer, and he is incredible. He's incredible. There was one right around Bocelli where someone was coming in, but he's bringing in the military music.
50:08Oh, we went to one of the state dinners with the governors, I think. It was the governors.
50:14Katie Miller:And the violinist performed again. Yes. But when he brings in the military band. I love that they're using the military to do the music. The music is so good. Well, there was an Australia state dinner in the first administration that had them on the roof of the Rose Garden. Oh, really? That was incredible. Mrs. Trump planned that one. That was absolutely stunning. We need to do that. Tell the president to do it again. I've never seen that. If you could host a dinner party with three people, dead or alive, who's at the dinner party, and what are you eating? Is this to me? Both of you. So last question of the podcast.
50:46Oh, my goodness. Dead or alive? Well, I would do Jesus, George. George Washington? Yep. And Trump. Jesus, George Washington, Trump. That's great. You know, I'd want to have dinner with my family again. I love my family. They're my favorite people.
51:12Katie Miller:What are you guys eating? Tacos. Steak. Thank you so much for doing this. Thanks for having us. This is so much fun. Wasn't too tough. No, you do a good job. Thanks so much for watching this episode of the Katie Miller Podcast. Don't forget to join us every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. where you get your podcast. See you next week.
From the publisher
This week on the Katie Miller Podcast, Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sit down for an exclusive joint interview. They share their love story, from meeting on an MTV reality show to raising nine kids, and pull back the curtain on life at the highest levels of media and government. Sean also gets real about how to make travel more family-friendly and what it is really like to have President Trump as his boss.
