Project 2025 is dead. The Heritage Foundation, which produced it, claims that it’s just moving onto its next phase with project director Paul Dans stepping down, but let’s state the blatant truth: It’s dead.
President Donald J. Trump killed it, not because it was bad but because it was misrepresented by both corporate media and Democrats as HIS plan. It is not his plan. It was never his plan. He never read the 900-pages of the plan. But that didn’t stop the left from trying to attach it to him and his running mate, J.D. Vance.
“Reports of Project 2025’s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you,” said Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, two senior campaign advisors.
To be fair, I actually like much of what I know about Project 2025. It leans to the right of Trump’s “Agenda 47” in some key areas, most notably its call for federal abortion restrictions. But both Trump and the campaign are correct that nobody should be putting out policy “recommendations” unless they make it abundantly clear that they are nothing more than recommendations.
The Heritage Foundation overplayed their role as a think tank. Even the name, “Project 2025,” insinuates that it’s a plan intended for immediate implementation. This negates their claim that it’s for “any” Republican President at any time. By naming it “Project 2025,” they intended for it to be used by President Trump… unless they really thought Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis could have won the nomination which would eliminate their credibility as a think tank.
The moment corporate media, Hollywood, and Democrat politicians started attaching Project 2025 to Trump, it became Heritage President Kevin D. Roberts’ responsibility to immediately debunk the notion. He should have lambasted anyone who even insinuated that Trump would implement it. Instead, he allowed the lie to be perpetuated and did damage to the Trump campaign.
He should have said he never presented it to Trump. He should have announced that Trump and his campaign summarily rejected and denounced the project. He should have given it a less official-sounding name. But they made the decision to let the charade continue while they soaked up extra attention.
This is why we had headlines just yesterday that read, “How Trump and the GOP Are Plotting to Transform the State of Reproductive Care in America.” The article is about how Trump plans to end all abortion rights. They took NOTHING from Trump’s actual plan of allowing states to make their own decisions. Instead, the article pulls everything from Project 2025’s playbook. The only minor tidbit that allows a sliver of distance between Project 2025 and Trump is that they claimed it was a “920-page blueprint for a possible second Donald Trump administration.”
“Possible.”
To the average reader who is not politically savvy (and let’s face it, that’s the vast majority of voters), this article from NBC News is “proof” that Trump wants to outlaw abortion completely.
Even Joe Biden’s defunct campaign and Kamala Harris’ current campaign try to attach Trump to Project 2025. The image above is taken from Biden’s website.
Project 2025 is dead. It wasn’t really killed by Trump. It wasn’t really killed by corporate media. It was killed by the Heritage Foundation’s poor decision to pretend it was more than what it really was.
