It has taken the internet by storm, and quickly become one of the most widely-shared political topics in recent American history, perhaps only overshadowed by the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Project 2025, a 900-page manifesto of a conservative plan for the future of America, has become a polarizing topic of discussion.
Trump may have reason to be apprehensive of the affiliation with it after the president of the think tank behind the proposed protocols, The Heritage Foundation, made an ominous comment on national TV about the organization’s intentions for the country’s future.
“We are in the process of a second American Revolution,” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told America’s Real Voice host Dave Brat, “which will remain bloodless, if the left allows it to be.”
The following day, Trump took to Truth Social to disassociate Project 2025.
“I know nothing about Project 2025. 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. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them,” Trump posted.
A Change of Heart
Despite Trump’s public renouncement and disparagement of Project 2025, the extent of his relationship to it remains unclear.
Just over a week later, Trump would find himself within an inch of his life after a gunman’s bullet wizzed passed his head, nicking his ear at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Two days later, Trump arrived to the Republican National Convention, his ear still bandaged from the Pennsylvania attack, and just hours after announcing his Vice President pick and running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio.
Senator Vance seemed and unlikely pick for Trump. Once a vocal critic of the former president, Vance has reportedly called Trump “noxious” and a “moral disaster.”
Though Trump may deny affiliation with the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025, J.D. Vance does not. A known associate of the foundation’s president Kevin Roberts – the same Kevin Roberts who threatened violence and warfare — J. D. Vance has penned essays that are currently on the Heritage Foundation’s website. The Foundation’s politician rating lists Vance with a 93% rating.
Kevin Roberts took to social media to express his satisfaction with Republican party’s Vice President pick.
“Congratulations to @JDVance1— a man who personifies hope for our nation’s future,” the post read. “When Americans get to know him, they will appreciate his values and vision as I do.”
What is Project 2025?
This “Project” is actually a 922-page playbook on policies, training, and personnel involved in America’s conservatives gaining power—potentially permanently. The Playbook is available for all to see on the net, complete with its own website.
Project 2025 is not the project of a single person. Rather, it’s the work of over 400 different conservative thinkers, combined into a single plan to establish Republican power in America.
What Does Project 2025 Entail?
There are a lot of steps, proposals, and suggestions that can be found throughout the playbook. Some of the ones that have raised alarm by the media include:
- Eliminating the Department of Education. The Department of Education is a main pillar of public education. Not having a federal Department of Education could devastate school systems across the nation.
- Increasing conservative political appointees. The official Project 2025 site encourages conservatives to apply as part of the project. The playbook portion notes that conservatives should be placed in every possible position at every branch of the government, skewing the odds in their favor.
- Boosting Presidential authority over the Justice Department. This could potentially allow presidents to commit illegal actions without any checks or balances to stop them.
- Block federal aid for as many as ⅔ of all college applicants. This policy could put college out of reach for millions of potential students.
- End several popular temporary worker programs and immigration offers. H2A and H2B visas would be first on the chopping block. Over 500,000 “Dreamers” would also be forced to go home.
- Eliminating environmental regulations. Project 2025 believes environmental regulations are government overreach and are harmful to business. The project would also delist many endangered animals, including the gray wolf and the grizzly bear.
- Start oil mining operations on Native American soil. This has been a major source of contention between Native tribes and GOP operatives for years.
- Bar American citizens from qualifying for housing subsidies if a person who is not a citizen or legal permanent resident lives with them. In many cases, this could force American citizens to potentially choose between housing and marrying someone they love.
Related: Fed Charges Rocket Mortgage, Maverick Group With Housing Discrimination
Why Is It Called Project 2025?
Project 2025’s name comes from the belief that the next conservative president will take their oath in the winter of 2025. As the Project 2025 site explains, “It is not enough for conservatives to win elections. If we are going to rescue the country from the grip of the radical Left, we need both a governing agenda and the right people in place, ready to carry this agenda out on day one of the next conservative administration.”
If a conservative president is elected this November, then Project 2025 will could be put into place as soon as that presidency starts.
