Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took part in a pull-up challenge at Ronald Reagan International Airport on Monday, where his daughter and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outperformed him.
Kennedy, 71, was first at the pull-up bar, set up before the Transportation Security Administration’s lines at the airport. As Kennedy completed 20 overhand pull-ups, his shirt became inadvertently untucked.
Duffy, 54, removed his tie and his shoes before jumping on the bar and completing 10 overhand pull-ups.
Lastly, 17-year-old Paloma Duffy, one of the transportation secretary’s nine children, stepped up to the bar. She finished 13 overhand pull-ups. As soon as she finished her 10th, the crowd began applauding her.
“You’re swinging,” Sean Duffy joked to his daughter as she exerted herself. “Only dad can swing.”
Duffy credited his daughter with the idea of having exercise equipment in airports. This idea is part of the Department of Transportation $1 billion investment into airports to provide infrastructure that promotes health and caters to families. Paloma Duffy follows Dr. Paul Saladino on Instagram, who first pitched the idea of making exercise equipment available while traveling to his over 2.8 million followers. Saladino was also present at DCA airport to count the completed pull-ups.
“Amazing job, Palomita!! You beat your dad in pull ups,” her mother, Rachel Campos-Duffy, posted on X Monday. “More importantly, you told your dad about @paulsaladinomd idea for fitness opportunities in airports & today you saw it come to fruition with grants for workout equipment & more!”
“Having pull-up bars in airports means you can stay fit while traveling. You can challenge yourself, or better yet, challenge your friends & family during a layover. The downside is your daughter might beat you!” Duffy wrote on X.
However, the introduction of a pull-up bar received some backlash.
“Sean Duffy would like you to do pulls up (sic) while he forces you to wait for your delayed flight,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) wrote on X in response to the video.
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Newsom’s criticism was posted on Monday when airports saw over 6,700 delays nationwide, prompting a response from Duffy on Tuesday.
“I work every day to improve air travel and update air traffic control to reduce delays,” Duffy wrote on X. “Gavin works every day to destroy California.”
