Newt talks with Rachel Campos-Duffy about her new book, All American Patriotism, the Great American Road Trip, and why America’s story is still worth celebrating.

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On this episode of Newt’s World, Newt Gingrich welcomes Rachel Campos-Duffy, co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend and New York Times bestselling author of All American Patriotism: Celebrating 250 Years of America’s Greatness. Their conversation explores how America’s 250th birthday can become an opportunity to renew patriotism, restore honest history, and remind younger generations why the American dream remains so powerful.

Rachel shares deeply personal stories about her family, her father’s journey from poverty to opportunity, and the road trips that shaped her husband Sean Duffy’s love for America. She and Newt also discuss the importance of seeing America firsthand, teaching children the country’s full history, and celebrating the principles that have made the United States unique.

Listen to their conversation below, or scroll down for an edited transcript.

Edited Transcript

This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Newt Gingrich

I am pleased to welcome my guest and good friend, Rachel Campos-Duffy. She is co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, a New York Times bestselling author, and the author of All American Patriotism: Celebrating 250 Years of America’s Greatness. Rachel, welcome to Newt’s World.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

Thank you, Newt. I am so happy to be here. You came to Wisconsin in 2010 to help support Sean in his first congressional race, and I have always been grateful for that.

Newt Gingrich

I remember that fondly. You and Sean have had remarkable careers. Your new book debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. What inspired you to write it as we approach America’s 250th birthday?

Rachel Campos-Duffy

The birthday itself inspired me. I think it is time to turn the page after decades of denigrating America, our history, our founders, and our identity as a people. Many young Americans have been taught a narrative of shame. I wanted this book to remind people why America is worth loving and why we can improve the country through a prism of gratitude and love.

Newt Gingrich

You asked several of your Fox colleagues to share what America means to them. Did any of their reflections surprise you?

Rachel Campos-Duffy

What I loved most was how regional the country still is. You read chapters from people in Texas, South Carolina, Long Island, the West, and the Midwest, and each one reflects a different part of America. Yet the common thread is love for the country. It really captures the idea of e pluribus unum.

Newt Gingrich

You and Sean also have such an interesting story. You met through MTV and have both remained in television and public life.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

Sean and I met through reality television. He was a lumberjack athlete from Wisconsin, and I was a Latina girl from the Southwest. At first, I was not sure about him, but eventually we had a breakfast that lasted three or four hours. By the end, I knew I wanted to marry him.

Newt Gingrich

You also took on a major project with the Great American Road Trip. What was the vision behind it?

Rachel Campos-Duffy

Sean wanted to bring back the Great American road trip. He believes that to love America, you have to see America. Families today are disconnected and often living through screens. Road trips bring families together. You see the country, you meet people, you experience the beauty of America, and you make memories that last.

Newt Gingrich

One of the most personal parts of your book is when you write that the American dream saved your family. Tell us about that.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

My father was one of 15 children and the first generation born in the United States. His parents came from Mexico and settled in a copper mining town in Arizona. They were very poor, but my father was hardworking and resourceful from a young age. He joined the military, went to night school, earned his degree, used the GI Bill, and became a teacher. My mother taught herself English, went to college, and also became a teacher. They showed us through their example that America is a land of opportunity.

Newt Gingrich

That is a powerful story.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

My parents always told us we were lucky to be Americans. They believed education and hard work would open doors. That is why I get so frustrated when children are taught to hate this country. We have the most coveted citizenship in the world, and we should never take that for granted.

Newt Gingrich

I agree. There has been a real effort on some campuses and in parts of the culture to make open patriotism seem unacceptable.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

Yes, and that is why I still have hope around the 250th anniversary. America remains exceptional. This should be a moment to bring the country together and celebrate what makes it remarkable.

Newt Gingrich

You also discuss the attacks on American history, from vandalized statues to warnings placed on founding documents.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

It is deeply troubling. Children are being robbed of history. They are often taught only a negative version of America’s story. We need to teach the truth, including the challenges, but also the greatness, courage, and sacrifice that shaped this country.

Newt Gingrich

The Declaration of Independence is dangerous if you are a dictator. But for Americans, it is the core of what made us unique.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

Absolutely.

Newt Gingrich

Rachel, your new book, All American Patriotism: Celebrating 250 Years of America’s Greatness, is available now. I also encourage listeners to watch the Great American Road Trip on YouTube. Thank you for joining me.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

Thank you so much, Speaker. You are an American treasure.

About the Guest

Rachel Campos-Duffy is the host of America’s #1 rated cable news morning show, FOX & Friends Weekend. With her husband, Sean Duffy, she co-wrote the #I New York Times bestseller All American Christmas. She is also the author of the patriotic children’s book Paloma Wants to be Lady Freedom. Campos-Duffy has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Arizona State University’s Honors Program and a master’s degree in international affairs from the University of California, San Diego.

She is married to the Secretary of Transportation and former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy. They are parents to nine children and grandparents to two grandchildren.

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Newt Gingrich Talks with Historian Brady Crytzer About George Washington’s Vision for the National Road and the Infrastructure Project That United a Growing America.

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As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, understanding how the nation expanded beyond the original thirteen colonies offers valuable insight into the American story. On this episode of Newt’s World, Newt Gingrich sits down with historian Brady Crytzer to discuss his new book, The National Road: George Washington and America’s First Highway West. Their conversation explores Washington’s lesser-known role as a surveyor, landowner, and visionary who recognized that America’s future depended on connecting the East to the vast opportunities beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

Brady explains how Washington’s dream eventually became the National Road, the first major federally funded infrastructure project in American history. The discussion highlights the critical contributions of Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin, whose practical vision for roads, commerce, and westward expansion helped transform a fragile young republic into a connected nation. Together, Newt and Brady examine the challenges of frontier settlement, the importance of transportation networks, and the enduring lessons America can learn from one of its most ambitious early projects.

Listen to their conversation below, or scroll down for an edited transcript.

Edited Transcript

This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Newt Gingrich

Most Americans know George Washington as a general and president, but your book introduces readers to Washington the surveyor. Why is that side of his life so important?

Brady Crytzer

Washington always had an eye for the land. Throughout his military service, the Revolution, and his presidency, he believed America’s future lay beyond the Appalachian Mountains. He understood that the nation would eventually grow westward and that infrastructure would be essential to making that expansion possible.

Newt Gingrich

Washington also became one of the largest landowners in America. Why was he so focused on acquiring western land?

Brady Crytzer

His experiences during the French and Indian War convinced him that the Ohio River Valley represented America’s future. He saw enormous economic potential in the West and believed Americans had the desire to move westward. What they lacked was a reliable way to get there.

Newt Gingrich

Today it is easy to overlook how important rivers were before railroads and highways.

Brady Crytzer

Absolutely. Rivers were the highways of the eighteenth century. Washington viewed waterways much the way we think of interstate highways today. They allowed people and goods to travel vast distances, but eventually there were gaps that required new solutions.

Newt Gingrich

Washington’s presidency coincided with a turbulent western frontier. What challenges was the nation facing?

Brady Crytzer

The West presented several major crises. Settlers often distrusted eastern authority. Native American confederations were resisting expansion. British forces still occupied frontier forts, and Spain controlled access to the Mississippi River. Any one of those challenges could have slowed or stopped American growth.

Washington believed the answer was creating a physical connection between East and West through infrastructure.

Newt Gingrich

One of the most important figures in your book is Albert Gallatin. Who was he?

Brady Crytzer

Gallatin was born in Geneva and immigrated to America during the Revolution. He eventually settled in western Pennsylvania and became one of the most influential financial minds in American history.

As Treasury Secretary, he financed the Louisiana Purchase, supported the Lewis and Clark Expedition, helped fund the War of 1812, and championed the National Road. He also reduced the national debt while doing it.

Newt Gingrich

What made Gallatin’s vision different?

Brady Crytzer

Gallatin believed prosperity came from ordinary Americans. He thought government’s role was not to direct success, but to remove barriers that prevented people from succeeding on their own.

His vision centered on transportation networks that would allow farmers, merchants, and settlers to connect with markets and opportunities.

Newt Gingrich

How did roads eventually become more important than rivers?

Brady Crytzer

Rivers could only take people so far. Gallatin recognized that millions of acres of productive land were nowhere near navigable waterways. Roads became the missing link.

The National Road connected the Potomac River to the Ohio River and eventually stretched hundreds of miles farther west. It followed many existing Native American trails and frontier routes while creating a reliable transportation corridor for settlement and commerce.

Newt Gingrich

Was the National Road truly a federal project?

Brady Crytzer

Yes. Gallatin devised a clever funding model using proceeds from federal land sales in Ohio. That allowed the road to be built without imposing new taxes.

He also argued that the Constitution gave Congress authority to maintain postal roads, which helped secure support for the project.

Newt Gingrich

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, what lessons does the National Road offer today?

Brady Crytzer

The National Road reminds us that America has always been a nation willing to pursue ambitious goals.

Washington, Gallatin, and others faced enormous obstacles, yet they built something that transformed the country. Their story demonstrates that bold thinking, long-term planning, and confidence in America’s future can produce extraordinary results.

Newt Gingrich

If the National Road had never been built, how different might America have been?

Brady Crytzer

The Midwest would have developed much more slowly. The road provided a blueprint for later transportation systems, including the interstate highway network.

In many ways, it created the foundation for America’s economic growth and the freedom of movement that Americans still enjoy today.

Newt Gingrich

If Washington and Gallatin were alive today, what challenge would they put before us?

Brady Crytzer

They would ask how America can continue leading in a changing world. They believed in freedom, opportunity, innovation, and growth.

Their question for us would be simple: How do we build on those principles to ensure America’s success for the next generation?

Newt Gingrich

Brady, thank you for joining me. Your new book, The National Road: George Washington and America’s First Highway West, is available now.

Brady Crytzer

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was a pleasure.

About the Guest

Brady J. Crytzer is the winner of the 2023 Judge Robert K. Woltz History Award. A specialist of the Frontier History of North America, Crytzer is an Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, and regularly appears on Fox News, NBC Peacock, C-Span, and Sirius XM.

In 2026, Crytzer was named a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts in London. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Sirius XM, and USA Today.

His book The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis was listed as one of “Ten Books to Read” by the Wall Street Journal in 2023. His latest work, The National Road: George Washington and America’s First Highway West was named “Editor’s Pick: Best History” by Amazon.com.

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