WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he is naming former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee for transportation secretary as he continues to roll out chooses his cabinet.

Duffy is a former reality TV star who was one of Trump’s most visible defenders on cable news — a primary concern for the media-oriented president-elect. Duffy served in the House of Representatives for nearly nine years, served on the Financial Services Committee and chaired the Insurance and Housing Subcommittee. He left Congress in 2019 and co-hosts “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business.

In his announcement, Trump noted that Duffy is married to a Fox News host and called him “the husband of an amazing woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox News.”

A spokesperson for Fox News Media wished Duffy “good luck on his return to Washington” and said he was leaving the company on Monday.

Duffy is the second Fox-affiliated television host Trump has appointed to his Cabinet so far. Trump announced last week his choice of Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his Secretary of Defense.

Trump said Duffy would use his experience and relationships built over the years in Congress “to preserve and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and fulfill our mission of ushering in the Golden Age of travel, with an emphasis on safety, efficiency and innovation. Importantly, he will vastly improve the travel experience for all Americans!”

Duffy in 2022 ruled out a run for Wisconsin governor despite pleas from Trump to make an offer, saying he had to care for his nine children, including his youngest child with a heart condition.

He is a former lumberjack athlete and regular contributor to Fox News. He appeared on MTV’s ‘The Real World: Boston’ in 1997. He met his wife on the set of MTV’s ‘Road Rules: All Stars’ in 1998.

A reality TV background before politics is not unusual in Trump’s world. The former president launched his political career after his hit reality show: “ The student,”

After his time on reality TV, Duffy worked as a special prosecutor and district attorney in Ashland County. He won election to Congress as part of a tea party wave in 2010.

When he first ran for office, Duffy was largely considered an underdog, but he attracted national attention for his campaign ads, in which he donned a red flannel shirt and cut down trees. He told voters he came from a “long line of lumberjacks” and would bring his ax to Washington.

He served until his resignation in 2019.

The Transportation Department oversees the nation’s complex transportation system, including pipelines, railroads, automobiles, trucks, airlines, and mass transit systems, as well as federal funding for highways.

If confirmed, Duffy would take over at a time of tremendous change, especially on the nation’s highways. Traffic fatalities remain near record highs at a time when new technologies are being introduced that can help make roads safer. Several companies are deploying autonomous robotaxis and even self-driving semi-autos without specific federal regulations. And the emerging shift from gasoline to electric vehicles itself poses safety concerns, especially when it comes to battery fires that can be difficult to extinguish.

The department includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which oversees automakers including Elon Musk’s Tesla. The department sets fuel economy standards for cars and trucks and regulates the aviation industry through the Federal Aviation Administration, which is struggling with a shortage of air traffic controllers to ensure the safe and orderly flow of air travel.

Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, said the association was “thrilled” by the selection of Duffy.

“Congressman Duffy has a proven track record of getting things done, and we are eager to work with him on important issues impacting the U.S. aviation industry,” said Calio.

Trump has criticized electric vehicles as expensive and unreliable and called President Joe Biden’s policies to promote them “madness.” He has also said that electric car production will destroy auto industry jobs and has falsely claimed that battery-powered cars do not work in cold weather and cannot travel long distances.

Trump has softened his rhetoric on electric vehicles in recent months after Musk endorsed him and campaigned heavily for his election.

Still, industry officials expect Trump will try to slow the shift to electric cars, and a tax credit for EV purchases is reportedly among the options the Trump administration could try to eliminate next year.

Trump said in his statement that Duffy would “prioritize excellence, competence, competitiveness and beauty as we rebuild America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports.” Trump, while campaigning for the White House, sometimes complained about the state of air travel in particular, complaining that the nation’s “once-respected airports” are a “dirty, overcrowded mess.”

Duffy, Trump said Monday, “will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.” DEI refers to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

___

Price reported from New York and Superville from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Amanda Seitz in Washington, Tom Krisher in Detroit and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.