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California governor uses unfortunate photograph of Robert F Kennedy Jr to ridicule Sean Duffy’s call for air passengers to wear sharper clothes and behave more considerately on flights
Joe SommerladTuesday 25 November 2025 09:35 GMTComments
CloseTransportation Secretary Sean Duffy says people should dress more smartly for the airport as he launches ‘civility’ campaign
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ridiculed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s new “civility” campaign for air travel, urging passengers to dress in smarter clothes and behave more considerately towards each other.
Duffy, a former professional lumberjack, has been attempting to “restore courtesy and class to air travel” by arguing that people taking more pride in their appearance on flights would yield a better atmosphere on board.
Newsom wasted no time in deriding the idea on Monday by posting a photograph of Duffy’s cabinet colleague, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, walking barefoot down the aisle of a plane in jeans and a T-shirt, accompanied by a dismayed emoji.
open image in galleryCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom posts an unfortunate picture of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr to mock Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s new 'civility' campaign for air travel on Monday November 24 2025 (Gavin Newsom Press Office/X)The picture of Kennedy first surfaced in November 2023, provoking questions about the vaccine sceptic’s commitment to hygiene.
The attack is just the latest offering from the Gavin Newsom Press Office account on X, which the Democratic governor has given over to trolling President Donald Trump and his administration this year, frequently posting cruel memes to expose the MAGA movement and its rhetoric.
Earlier Monday, the transportation secretary appeared at Newark International Airport in New Jersey and outlined his dress code message by saying: “I think it’s important as we travel that we think about not just ourselves, not just our families, but we think about those who are around us.
“Maybe we should say please and thank you to our pilots and to our flight attendants. Dressing with respect – whether it’s a pair of jeans and a decent shirt, I would encourage people to maybe dress a little better, which encourages us to maybe behave a little better. Let’s try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport.”
He continued: “Let’s all travel better together. Don’t take your shoes off and put your feet on... the chair ahead of you. Maybe don’t play your movie without headphones on. Just some simple things that can annoy the folks around you... We don’t have to do that. Just be cognizant and courteous.
open image in galleryGov. Newsom has devoted his official press office X account to trolling President Donald Trump and his administration this year, enjoying plenty of viral success (AP)“You guys can fight about politics when you get home for Thanksgiving. Let’s have this be the pre-run that is politics-free and very friendly with please and thank yous and a lot of gratitude for all the work that happens to get you to your final destination.”
Duffy made a similar argument during an appearance on Fox Business last week, when he declared: “The golden age in transportation truly begins with you, the passenger. If you just watch social media, you have brawls at the baggage claim, you have passengers berating gate agents. We have unruly passengers on airplanes. People dress up like they’re going to bed when they fly.”
He did not address any of the myriad factors that cause air travel to become a misery, from late departures and lost luggage to cramped seating and dire food, that prompt people to attempt to make their journeys as comfortable as possible.
Newsom’s mockery of the Trump officials attracted a lively response on X.
“Hey, relax, at least he’s wearing pants,” joked pundit Keith Olbermann in defense of RFK Jr’s transgression.
“Oh God, if he just walked out of the Lavatory, I’m gonna be sick,” another user wrote, one of many to express deep feelings of nausea in response to the post.
Another person posted a second image of Kennedy without shoes in an airport departure lounge, while others posted shots of Duffy goofing around in underwear and socks in a hotel room from his past life as a reality TV star, and another added a picture of South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace posing in pyjamas at an airport, undermining the consistency of the secretary’s position.
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