Overview

• On June 23, the New York Times ran a Caroline Kitchener profile framing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s journey from MTV reality star to cabinet official as part of a push for larger families.
• Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, publicly denounced the article as a personal attack, accusing the reporter of bias and rejecting claims they exploit their nine children for political gain.
• Conservative voices such as Lila Rose and commentators on social media escalated the backlash, accusing the newspaper of targeting traditional family values.
• Observers note the piece downplayed Duffy’s memo to prioritize transportation funding for areas with higher birthrates and marriage rates, a move Democratic senators labeled dystopian.
• The dispute unfolds as U.S. birthrates decline, with a Pew Research Center study showing young adults now plan fewer children than they did a decade ago.