Crucial Quote
The timing of the series launch “doesn’t matter at all to sponsors if what they really hoped to get out of this was access,” Donald Sherman, president and CEO of the liberal-leaning legal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), told Forbes.
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Which Companies Sponsored Sean Duffy’s Road Trip Video Series?
In May, The Wall Street Journal reported Boeing and Japanese auto maker Toyota each donated $1 million to sponsor the series. Houston-based oil giant Shell, which is listed on the series website alongside Boeing and Toyota, declined to confirm to Forbes whether it had also contributed $1 million for the project. Electronic Payments Coalition, a lobbying group representing the interests of major payment card networks, told Forbes it “was a sponsor of the road trip” but would not say how much it had contributed. Google, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and CRH, a provider of building materials for highways and other critical infrastructure, did not respond to Forbes’ inquiries on how much they contributed to the road trip. The American Bus Association confirmed it was a bronze-level ($100,000) sponsor—but other organizations displayed at the same level told Forbes they had provided logistical support as “in-kind contributions” in lieu of financial contributions.
What Were Sponsors Promised?
The Great American Road Trip, Inc., a non-profit organization set up for the Duffys’ road trip reality series, sold top-tier “platinum” partnerships for $1 million, with “gold” ($500,000), “silver” ($250,000) and “bronze” ($100,000) levels also available, according to the obtained by Politico in May. Each level of partnership promised a set of deliverable benefits, ranging from logo placement and recognition on the series website to inclusion in a specific number of social media posts, mentions in email campaigns and VIP invitations to receptions and networking events. The pitch deck states, “If deliverables are delayed or altered, [Great American Road Trip] will provide comparable substitute benefits in consultation with Sponsor.” None of the series sponsors replied to Forbes’ emailed questions except Shell, which declined to comment for this story.
Big Number
$6.3 million. That’s how much the three top-tier sponsors listed on The Great American Road Trip website—Boeing, Toyota and Shell—have collectively spent lobbying the U.S. government so far in 2026. That number is up from $5.2 million in May.
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Why Is Sean Duffy’s Great American Road Trip Controversial?
The project has received blowback over two kinds of ethical concerns. The first arises from a member of the Cabinet receiving gifts. The Duffy family filmed the five-part series over eight separate mini trips during a seven-month period stretching from September 2025 through April 2026. The Transportation Department told Forbes in May that Duffy and his family didn’t earn a salary or royalties from the project, but critics argue the Duffy family was compensated in corporate-sponsored perks, including flights, hotel stays, a cruise, whitewater rafting, snowmobiling and skiing. Another concern is that many of the road trip’s corporate sponsors—including Boeing, United Airlines, Royal Caribbean, Toyota, Shell and Enterprise Rent-A-Car—are regulated by Duffy’s department. Last month, a group of six Democratic U.S. senators led by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., sent a calling for the Department of Transportation inspector general to open an official investigation into Duffy’s involvement in the show due to “potential misconduct and violations of federal laws, rules, and regulations” and alleging “the Secretary accepted gas, lodging, and other travel expenses from a non-profit funded by the very companies the Secretary regulates.” Sherman told Forbes “the industry this secretary is supposed to be overseeing appears to be footing the bill.”
Further Reading
How Much Was Donated To Sean Duffy’s Family Road Trip? Most Sponsors Still Won’t Say (Forbes)
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