Republican billionaire, and now President-elect Donald Trump, allegedly already has a 900-page government plan in his quiver. This is Project 2025, a plan that is the work of the entire US conservative movement.
Project 2025 has already caused strong reactions and concern in the camp of the Democrats and their supporters.
A right-wing conservative guide
In essence, Project 2025 is a conservative “guide” for the next Republican president. It is an informal political blueprint for Trump’s second term, authored by the Heritage Foundation, with the support of many other conservative organizations and think tanks.
It should be noted that the Heritage Foundation has been compiling such political wish lists for decades for various potential presidents from the Republican Party.
The practice is common in the US. As American political scientist Hans Noel of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., points out, “analysts and other experts formulate an ideological direction before it is adopted by parties and politicians,” he adds.
Many figures from Trump’s circle, including former officials and allies, were involved in the drafting of Project 2025.
The four fronts of Project 2025 that will determine America’s future
Project 2025’s proposals make specific reference to “four fronts that will define America’s future”: restoring the institution of the family, abolishing the administrative state, defending national sovereignty, and ensuring “the individual rights and freedom God gave us.”
Several federal agencies, such as the Justice Department for example, will be completely restructured.
In the areas of energy policy and the economy, there will be a new shift as the new Washington administration will no longer focus on reducing emissions or “green” subsidies as a priority.
In addition, there will be a reduction in taxes on business and income.
Terms such as “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” will have no place in presidential decrees and laws.
The harmful teachings of critical race theory and gender ideology will be removed from the curricula of all public schools across the country.
Radical changes on abortion, immigration and NATO issues – Conflicting positions on the war in Ukraine
On abortion, the next Conservative administration will seek to “protect unborn children in every American court” and, among other things, possibly ban the morning-after pill.
“Glaring gaps in the immigration system” would also be addressed, including by boosting funds and sending technological equipment and personnel to the border with Mexico, and tightening asylum procedures.
In addition, NATO should be reconstituted so that other states take on more responsibility. At the same time, the U.S. military in Europe will be reduced, despite the fact that Washington will allocate more money to the U.S. armed forces.
On the war in Ukraine, there are two conflicting positions: some conservatives believe that continued US involvement in the form of military and economic aid is necessary, while others argue that supporting the war-torn country “is in no way in the national security interest of the United States.”
Trump distances himself from Project 2025 – “Some positions are ridiculous”
For Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, this strategic plan is an expression of a “Second American Revolution” that “will be bloodless, provided, of course, that leftist elements allow it.”
According to the staff of the losers – the Democrats – Donald Trump and his allies dream of “a violent revolution in order to destroy the idea of America.”
For political scientist Hans Noel, what’s special about Project 2025 is how far-reaching the proposed strategic arrangements are. In a way, this sets “the agenda of the current conservative movement.”
Moreover, the Republicans have a ready-made plan in their hands, which makes them immediately capable of governing, whereas the Trump administration in 2016 had not achieved anything similar.
The interesting thing about the whole affair is that Trump seeks to distance himself from Project 2025 in his public statements. On his own social media platform, Truth Social, he wrote: “I know nothing about who is behind this. I don’t agree with some of what they say and some of the positions are ridiculous. Whatever they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”
As Hans Noel explains, remaining vague about certain conservative policy goals is something that is paying off as a tactic for Trump, as it has allowed him to win the votes of many wavering voters in the past.
Two former Trump administration officials on Project 2025
Trump and his campaign worked to distance themselves from Project 2025 in the months leading up to Election Day, with the former US president going so far as to call some of the project’s proposals “quite advanced.”
Project 2025 is being run by former Trump administration officials such as Paul Dans, chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management and current deputy director of the project.
On July 30, Dans announced he would step down from his role as head of Project 2025 as well as a leave Heritage in August.
Project 2025 was spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, but includes an advisory board made up of more than 100 conservative groups.