The head of the Department of Transportation filmed a show about a road trip across the United States, while Americans can't afford gas.

"The Great American Road Trip" is a five-part series planned for release on YouTube for the United States' 250th anniversary. It features Duffy traveling the country with his wife, Fox News anchor Rachel Campos-Duffy, and their nine children, according to NBC News.

"Our motto is: To love America, you have to see it," says Duffy. "It's more than just a trip. It's a civic experience. It's one of the most powerful ways to understand the vast, beautiful, and complex country we call home."

This project marked a return to the couple's television past. Before entering politics, Duffy appeared on MTV's "The Real World: Boston" in 1997, and then appeared on another network show, "Road Rules: All Stars," where he and Rachel met.

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"We encourage everyone to travel the country to celebrate America's 250th anniversary," Duffy continues. The video also shows the family meeting with President Donald Trump.

The show has sparked a wave of criticism, calling it inappropriate: the average price of gasoline, having increased by approximately 50% since the US entered the war with Iran in late February, has exceeded $4,50 per gallon.

Comments on YouTube were scathing. One user compared the trip to a "Great Depression food tour." Another wrote, "Americans are struggling to pay for gas and groceries, and these reality TV and Fox News stars are getting free trips to visit celebrities. Get real, Mark and Marie Antoinette."

Among the first prominent critics was former US Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

"I love road trips, but this seems completely out of touch with reality: a member of Trump's cabinet is making a movie about himself, while ordinary families can no longer afford road trips because Trump's policies and his war have driven up gas prices," he wrote in X.

Other Democrats, including Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and California Governor Gavin Newsom, echoed this criticism. Newsom, among other things, cited several aviation accidents that occurred during the period Duffy was filming the show.

Department of Transportation spokesman Nathaniel Sizemore said politicians who criticize rising gas prices "should refrain from commenting."

"These are the same people who fought fossil fuels, drove gasoline prices above $5 a gallon, and effectively pushed American families to buy expensive electric vehicles," he wrote. "Secretary Duffy has already taken steps to make cars more affordable and support the president's energy dominance agenda."

The Department of Transportation cited positive feedback, including from Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Senator Roger Marshall and country musician John Rich, who wrote the show's theme song.

"Leina and I raised our children with a love for this country and a desire to explore the gift God gave us in America," Marshall wrote in X. "God bless the Duffy family for doing the same."

Duffy stated on social media that all production costs were covered by the nonprofit organization The Great American Road Trip Inc., not taxpayers, and that neither he nor his family received a salary or royalties. According to Sizemore, these expenses included gas, car rentals, accommodations, and events, and that government funds were used only for official travel.

Critics have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest: the show's sponsors include Boeing, Toyota, Shell, Royal Caribbean Group, and United Airlines—companies regulated by Duffy's department. The list also includes Comcast, the owner of NBC News.

The Department of Transportation told NBC News that The Great American Road Trip Inc. is an independent organization and decides for itself who will accept donations to further its mission of celebrating the United States' 250th anniversary.

The organization's executive director, Tori Barnes, explained that the project is based on three goals: celebrating the United States' 250th anniversary, promoting travel and tourism, and highlighting the transportation, infrastructure, and ingenuity that have shaped the country for the past 250 years and will continue to do so.

Toyota stated that it supports initiatives dedicated to American history, people, and the spirit of exploration. Boeing, Shell, Royal Caribbean Group, and United Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Questions also arose about the amount of time Duffy devoted to the project. In an interview with Fox News, he told the outlet that filming took seven months, sparking criticism that it came at the expense of his public service. Campos-Duffy disagreed, telling Chasten Glezman Buttigieg that the filming took place in short, one- or two-day stints.

"We both know that my husband has done more in one year to transform the Department of Transportation and the air traffic control system than your husband has done in over four years," she wrote in X.

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In a separate post, Duffy noted that the "radical, disaffected left" is angry because it doesn't want people to celebrate America's anniversary and teach children about civics and patriotism, so it spreads lies.

He emphasized that ethics and budget officials at the Department of Transportation had reviewed and approved his participation in the show in accordance with federal regulations, and concluded, "Under my leadership, the department has become the most responsive, effective, and transformative in its history."

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