Why Project 2025 is creating headaches for the Trump campaign

Project 2025? Never heard of it. That's what Donald Trump says about a 900-page document from the conservative Heritage Foundation that puts itself forward as a governing agenda for the next Republican president, said CNN. "I know nothing about Project 2025," the former president said in a post on Truth Social, adding: "I have no idea who is behind it." Why the stiff arm? Trump's attempt to distance himself from Project 2025 comes "amid an intensifying effort by President Joe Biden and Democrats to tie Trump to its more controversial policies."

Indeed, Democrats have a "billboard-size plan to make Trump own Project 2025," Grace Segers said at The New Republic. The plans include targeting diversity policies in public life, restricting abortion access, reducing LGBT rights and curbing efforts to fight climate change. The president would also assert "greater control over the Justice Department" — putting Trump's enemies at risk of prosecution. That's all potentially controversial stuff, and Democrats plan to make sure voters see it that way. "Donald Trump's Project 2025 is the biggest threat to our American way of life we’ve faced in generations," said a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee.

'We want them out of there'

"Institutionalizing Trumpism" is the goal of Project 2025, Heritage's Kevin Roberts told The New York Times. "It's a presidential transition project," he said. Many conservatives believe Trump stumbled in his first term because he — and his Republican allies — weren't ready to take power after his unexpected election victory in 2016. They don't expect to repeat that mistake. One big item on the agenda? Firing thousands of government employees and replacing them with GOP loyalists. Long-term government workers "have blocked conservative innovation," Roberts said. "So we want them out of there." 

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That's alarming to progressives. "The fact that Trump is attempting to distance himself from this agenda is a testament to how obviously out of step it is with mainstream America," Brian Tyler Cohen said at MSNBC. The proposals are "legitimately extreme" — and include highlights such as cutting free school lunches, dramatically expanding immigrant deportations and even banning pornography. Trump's conservative allies might like those goals, but the candidate himself "rightly recognizes that the vast majority of voters don't."

'Unable to wash his hands'

Some of those conservative allies now want details from Trump. Distancing his candidacy from Project 2025 "may be smart politics," Noah Rothman said at National Review. But it may be difficult to accomplish. Trump is "unlikely to be able to wash his hands of the place with a single social-media post." Trump should clarify which Project 2025 goals he likes, and which he doesn't. "If Trump declines to answer the question, the Biden campaign (or whatever succeeds it) will answer it for him."

Trump's professed ignorance of Project 2025 is "preposterous," Catherine Rampell said at The Washington Post. "Hundreds of Trump appointees and aides are part of the initiative." And Trump's own super PAC has run ads highlighting the project. Yes, Trump might be "unfamiliar with its nitty-gritty details" — he has never been known as a "policy wonk" after all. But the fingerprints of Trump staffers, the people who would serve in a second administration, are all over Project 2025. That's "why this playbook, written by those same underlings, should be taken seriously."