Donald Trump’s recent attempts to distance himself from Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for a radical overhaul of the U.S. government, have been met with skepticism and criticism from various quarters, including former Republican figures. Project 2025, crafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation, outlines a series of drastic measures such as replacing civil servants with Trump loyalists, eliminating the Department of Education, placing the Justice Department under presidential control, and banning the abortion pill.
Despite the document being authored by former members of Trump’s first administration and echoing many of his policy positions, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to claim ignorance of the initiative. “I know nothing about Project 2025,” he posted, adding, “I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”
Olivia Troye, a former White House adviser to Mike Pence, dismissed Trump’s disavowal as “preposterous.” She pointed out that many of the plan’s authors, such as John McEntee, Stephen Miller, Ben Carson, and Ken Cuccinelli, were key figures in Trump’s first administration. Troye argued that Trump’s attempt to distance himself from the project is driven by the recognition that its extreme policies could jeopardize his election prospects.
Michael Steele, former RNC chair and current MSNBC host, echoed Troye’s sentiments, questioning how Trump could disagree with something he claims to know nothing about. Steele also highlighted the involvement of Paul Dans and Spencer Chretien, both of whom held significant roles in Trump’s administration, in the creation of Project 2025.
The plan’s more radical proposals include firing thousands of permanent civil servants, dismantling the federal education department, asserting presidential power over the Justice Department, and banning the abortion pill. Democrats have seized on Project 2025 to illustrate the potential consequences of a second Trump presidency, aiming to make the document a household name.
Troye emphasized that the project poses a threat not only to Democrats but also to moderate conservatives. She warned that the plan represents a significant overreach by the federal government into individual liberties, citing its proposals for federal law enforcement intervention in local jurisdictions without oversight.
Trump’s surrogates have attempted to support his effort to separate himself from Project 2025. Marco Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida, dismissed any connection between Trump and the project, stating, “Thinktanks do thinktank stuff. They come up with ideas, they say things. But our party’s candidate for president is Donald Trump.”
However, the denials are undermined by the close ties between the project’s personnel and Trump’s administration. Of the 38 people involved in writing and editing Project 2025, 31 were nominated to positions in Trump’s administration or transition team.
In May, the Trump campaign and the RNC announced their Platform Committee leadership team, naming Russ Vought and Ed Martin, both of whom have ties to Project 2025, as policy directors. Vought, who served as Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, authored a chapter for Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.” Martin, president of the Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, is also listed as part of Project 2025’s advisory board.
Other members of the RNC platform committee with ties to Project 2025 include Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, who has been vocal about ensuring the Republican platform does not soften its stance on abortion. The new platform, adopted by an 84-14 committee vote, will be officially confirmed by the full Republican National Committee membership next week.
Democratic National Committee press secretary Emilia Rowland criticized the RNC platform, stating, “The reality is that Trump literally put architects of Project 2025 in charge of the Republican platform, and the result is not only the most extreme platform in GOP history but one containing lie after lie after lie.”
Despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself from Project 2025, the connections between his campaign and the project remain evident. Several key former members of Trump’s administration, including Stephen Miller and John McEntee, are involved with the project. Miller, who recently helped Trump with debate preparation, appears in Project 2025’s educational “presidential administration academy” video, and his organization, America First Legal, is listed as an advisory member.
Members of Trump’s PAC-funded groups, such as the Conservative Partnership Institute led by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, also sit on the project’s advisory board. The Trump campaign’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, is featured in Project 2025’s “presidential administration academy” video, produced in September 2023.
Other policy groups and think tanks with ties to Trump have also proposed policy outlines for a potential second term, including the America First Policy Institute, which houses hundreds of former Trump administration officials. Save America PAC donated $1 million to the America First Policy Institute.
Trump’s campaign has maintained a distance from all outside policy groups, including Project 2025, stating that policy recommendations from external allies are merely suggestions. However, the deep intertwining of personnel and ideas between Trump’s campaign and Project 2025 suggests otherwise.
As the 2024 election approaches, the debate over Project 2025 and its implications for a potential second Trump presidency continues to intensify. Democrats are leveraging the project to highlight the stakes of the upcoming election, while Trump’s campaign navigates the challenge of distancing itself from the controversial blueprint.
Source: ABC News, The Guardian, CNN
