Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy just launched a six-part series that might be the antidote to years of anti-American rot in schools and museums — and it stars his wife and eight of their children.
The Great American Road Trip dropped Wednesday as America barrels toward its 250th birthday. The timing isn’t accidental.
While educators push divisive ideology over American history and society makes no effort to hide its hostility to families, the Duffy family is doing something radical: celebrating the country with their kids in tow.
The series highlights landmarks from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, Boston, Fort Worth, and beyond — but the Duffys don’t just visit. They immerse themselves in the experiences.
President Trump sent the family off from the White House before their first stop: Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum — who oversees national parks — met the family at the Liberty Bell. He walked them through the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia before the Revolutionary War was won, emphasizing the courage of the signers who risked treason for independence.
No DEI caveats. No scholarly debates. Just the declaration that our founders were brave and we owe our way of life to them.
Years of cultural Marxism have seeped into governments and schools, diminishing the achievements of the founders. Anti-American propaganda now litters museums and national parks, essentially telling citizens to be ashamed of their home.
The Trump administration has launched efforts to rip out the rot, but damage from years of indoctrination lingers.
That’s what makes this series refreshing. It returns to the basics and cuts through ideological noise.
The series doesn’t explicitly mention the cultural battles over anti-American messaging in museums. It simply emphasizes the historical locations themselves — and that focus counters radicalism by inspiring Americans to see America for themselves.
Executive Director Tori Barnes told The Federalist the nonprofit behind the series selected destinations “from all corners of the country to offer a snapshot of America’s remarkable diversity.”
She added: “Loving and celebrating America should be a nonpartisan pursuit.”
The series relies on everyday Americans to tell the story of America. When the family travels to Texas, Sec. Duffy visits employees at CRH — the leading asphalt and concrete provider in America.
“You don’t have many of our interstates unless you have plants like this to make sure those roads stay operational … and keeps you and your family safe,” Duffy said.
Later, after learning ranch life from a cowboy, Duffy said he has “the utmost respect for the cowboys and ranchers that do this work every single day.”
They “make America great.”
The episodes also spotlight local restaurants and businesses the family visits along the way.
Like every reality-style show, The Great American Road Trip has its moments of silly family drama and goofy interview dialogue. But amid the “controlled chaos,” the love this family has for each other gives the series its meaning.
Birth rates are dangerously low. Families continue to be torn apart by radical ideologies and policies that don’t value life or traditional structures.
Saving America starts in the family. Road trips are a uniquely American way to spend time with family and develop these bonds.
The series shows siblings who laugh with each other, parents who know the personalities of the little ones entrusted to them, a family praying together before bed, eating together, teasing one another.
Even if some interactions are scripted, its emphasis on experiencing America as a family may be its most inspiring aspect.
With high gas prices and affordability issues, taking a long road trip may not be possible for some families. But there are ways to scale it down or create meaningful learning experiences close to home.
“A road trip is still the most affordable get away for families — especially large ones,” Barnes told The Federalist. “The Great American Road Trip is a campaign to inspire families to fall in love with America,” which can include “rediscovering your own state, or even your hometown, too.”
The series website links to dozens of stops throughout the U.S. that could be worked into a road trip. There are also plenty of pro-American resources families can use to explore America without even leaving the house.
Oldest daughter Evita Duffy-Alfonso admits the family lacks musical coordination — but that didn’t stop them from learning a Texas line dance and enjoying farm life on camera.
That’s the point. Real America. Real families. Real patriotism.
