Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at a White House press briefing on January 30, 2025 (Joshua Sukoff/ Shutterstock.com)
President Donald Trump's Transportation Secretary was embarrassed on Tuesday for claiming one of America's largest automobile companies manufactures its batteries in China, only to be informed that this statement ignores that Michigan is in the United States.
"[Sean] Duffy went on to highlight Ford’s dependence on licensed technology from Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited — a company that appears on the Defense Department’s list of banned companies," NOTUS' reported Gavin J. Quinton on Tuesday.
Quinton added, "Ford defended its arrangement with Chinese battery makers, saying its Michigan battery hub is owned and operated by Ford and can’t be classified as a foreign-owned manufacturing operation."
Despite this fact-checking of the administration, however, Ford's response also stated that their corporation "supports the Trump administration’s vision for advancing American innovation and manufacturing. Had Secretary Duffy reached out before issuing his letter to the press, we would have been happy to share more details about Ford’s U.S. commitment.”
Duffy is not the only Trump cabinet officer to embarrass themselves. In April Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth erroneously attributed a monologue from the movie "Pulp Fiction" to the Bible.
“The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” Hegseth said in a speech, claiming the fictional Biblical passage (Ezekiel 25:17) was real. “Blessed is he who in the name of camaraderie and duty shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother, and you will know my call sign is Sandy One when I lay my vengeance upon thee. Amen.”
In December, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made a less verbose gaffe that nevertheless put her in the headlines. When praising Trump, Noem implied that the president could control the weather and that the American people should be grateful for it.
"Sir, you made it through the hurricane season without a hurricane — you kept the hurricanes away," Noem said. "We appreciate that."
Not all of the Trump officials' gaffes have involved what they have said. In February FBI Director Kash Patel was ridiculed by the media — and reportedly incurred the president's ire — after videos were posted of him chugging beers with the American Olympic hockey team following their gold medal victory. An article by The Atlantic claims that Patel has chronically used alcohol and that it interferes with his ability to do his job, although Patel denies this and sued The Atlantic.