In late June, The New York Times sparked an online controversy with an article about Sean Duffy, who holds the title of Secretary of Large Family Transportation. The piece questioned whether readers would don camouflage clothing.
Family reporter Caroline Kitchener wrote about Duffy’s wish to bond with his family over pancake-making. The article’s title was “MTV reality star of Trump’s Cabinet who hopes to have more children.”
Kitchener, who has a background in reporting on abortion for the Washington Post, suggested that Duffy used his children as a political asset.
She noted, “Since that first race, his children have played a key role in his political career. He included them in Congressional campaign ads.”
Duffy’s daughter, Evita Alonso Duffy, retaliated against the article, calling it a “hit piece” via Twitter.
“Caroline Kitchener is an abortion reporter masquerading as a family journalist. Her bias is clear given our family size,” Alonso Duffy remarked.
She further elaborated that Kitchener questioned if their parents ever considered an abortion for their first child, asserting, “We’re not props or political tools.”
NYT just released an attack on my family, accusing my dad of using us for his political gain. It’s evident from the size of us that Kitchener has an issue with families… pic.twitter.com/akiicqxodp
– Evita Duffy-Alfonso (@evitaduffy_1) June 23, 2025
The Daily Caller reached out to The New York Times for a response, which pointed to a statement on their social media.
https://t.co/fcnhae1ne9 pic.twitter.com/ti90t6xpn7
– Nytimes Communication (@nytimespr) June 23, 2025
Meanwhile, fashion columnist Vanessa Friedman faced backlash for her take on camouflage clothing amidst ongoing global conflicts. Readers asked her if sporting camouflage was still appropriate given the circumstances.
Friedman recalled that in the past, during the Capitol protests on January 6, 2021, she had advised that camouflage could be acceptable if styled clearly as fashion and not military attire.
However, she noted that the current situation feels different due to escalating tensions marked by military presence at protests and parades in Washington.
Some commenters disagreed with her stance. “This veteran argues against that notion. Wear what you want,” added one reader beneath her article.
Another person chimed in that many people wear camouflage simply because they like it, not for any political statement. “It’s frustrating that this isn’t understood,” they commented.
Also, there was mockery directed toward NYT Pentagon reporter John Ismay for his critical remarks about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, who had praised a pilot for a bombing mission.
Ismay took issue with Hegses referring to the pilots as “our boys,” pointing out that both genders are trained for such roles.
The internet quickly reacted, with one popular account tweeting, “In the song, Lauper noted that ‘girls just want to have fun,’ but really, both genders have enjoyed it historically.”
In the song, Roper declared that “only girls want to enjoy”, but both girls and boys have historically enjoyed it. pic.twitter.com/nw07gwchdl
– Matt Idea Shop (@mattsideashop) June 22, 2025
Some reactions were quite scathing.
One individual criticized Ismay on his social media, referring to him as a “beta male” and suggesting he was out of touch.
Imagine being a beta man @Johnismay
What kind of journalist pens something like this? ! @petehegseth @potus Perfect. The briefings were great and executed well.
People like you are the problem! pic.twitter.com/zkvldobn1n
– Graham Allen (@grahamallen_1) June 22, 2025
