Donald Trump, the President-elect, has recently expressed a more favorable view of Project 2025, a policy agenda he previously criticized.
He described some aspects of the initiative as "very conservative and very good," a significant shift from his earlier stance.
According to Newsweek, during his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump had distanced himself from the 900-page guideline, which was primarily developed by the Heritage Foundation. He had expressed his disapproval of the project on his social media platform, Truth Social, in July, stating, "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."
However, in an interview with Time magazine, which named Trump its 2024 Person of the Year, the president-elect softened his tone on the policy document. He continued to maintain his distance from Project 2025, but acknowledged some of its merits. "I don't disagree with everything in Project 2025, but I disagree with some things," he said. "They have some things that are very conservative and very good. They have other things that I don't like."
Trump reiterated his lack of involvement with Project 2025, expressing his disapproval of the timing of its release. He stated, "They complicated my election by doing it because people tried to tie me and I didn't agree with everything in there, and some things I vehemently disagreed with, and I thought it was inappropriate that they would come out with a document like that prior to my election. I thought it was a very foolish thing for them to do."
Despite his public distancing from Project 2025, Trump has invited some of its key architects to serve in his second administration. Russ Vought, who served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during Trump's first term, has been nominated to return to the role. Vought, who served as the Vice President of Heritage Action for America for seven years, has been instrumental in the development of Project 2025.
Vought's contributions to the initiative include authoring its section on the OMB. His suggestions, while technical, primarily aim to expand the President's authorities and reduce the power of career civil servants. "The great challenge confronting a conservative President is the existential need for aggressive use of the vast powers of the executive branch to return powerincluding power currently held by the executive branchto the American people," Vought wrote.
Other nominees with ties to Project 2025 include Brendan Carr, who authored the project's chapter on the Federal Communications Commission and is now set to lead the agency. Additionally, "border czar" Tom Homan, nominees John Ratcliffe, Pete Hoekstra, and Paul Atkins, and Stephen Miller, one of Trump's incoming deputy chiefs of staff, were all involved in the project.
Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, have argued that Trump's ties to Project 2025 are undeniable. However, Trump has consistently rejected these claims. Tony Carrk, the executive director of the watchdog group Accountable.US, suggested that Trump's Cabinet picks indicate his intention to move forward with Project 2025.
Republican strategist John Feehery, however, expressed doubt that Project 2025 would significantly influence the second Trump administration. He stated, "Trump is driving the agenda not the Heritage Foundation and certainly not Project 25."
Karoline Leavitt, Trump's spokesperson, reiterated the president-elect's stance, stating, "As President Trump said many times, he had nothing to do with Project 2025." She added that Trump's Cabinet picks reflect his commitment to putting America first and fulfilling his campaign promises.
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