Trump Is Project 2025

A cross-examination of the ex-president is well in order.

Image courtesy of Meidas News Network

As awareness grows around the horrific plans laid out in Project 2025, Trump has scrambled to put distance between him and the fallout.

“I know nothing about Project 2025,” Trump posted. “I have no idea who is behind it” and “I have nothing to do with them.”

This is of course a significant tell. As Rick Wilson reminded listeners yesterday on the Fast Politics podcast with Molly Jong-Fast, whenever Trump denies he has anything to do with it, it of course means he absolutely has everything to do with it.

For example, “I did not have sex with Stormy Daniels” = “I definitely had sex with Stormy Daniels.”

Or, “I declassified every document I took with me” = “I stole our national secrets and am trying to wiggle out of it.”

So, “I know nothing about Project 2025,” “I have no idea who is behind it” and “I have nothing to do with them” = “I am deep in cahoots with the Project 2025 people.”

I really want to cross-examine Trump himself on this, so let’s have a little fun with it this morning. 

Russell Vought

Mr. Trump, you know Christian nationalist Russell Vought, a principal author of Project 2025, right? Oh, you don’t recall? He served as your director of the Office of Management and Budget. Ring a bell now? 

Oh and look, right there in Section One, “Taking the Reins of Government.” There’s his name, Russ Vought, author of the chapter on “Executive Office of the President of the United States.” He’s writing about you, right? That is, if you win in November, correct?

Oh, and right here, too. Vought’s “Center For Renewing America” is listed on the Project 2025 website as a member of its advisory board. So not only Vought, but his whole apparatus, is involved with Project 2025, right?

And I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but isn’t it true that your campaign recently hand-picked Vought to oversee the GOP’s national policy platform? That was in May, right? When your campaign and the RNC announced the senior officials who would draft the platform, and Vought was named the Platform Committee’s Policy Director?

Is that why the RNC platform, wild as it is, sounds a lot like Project 2025? I mean, I know it was written like a 5th grader did it with a crayon, but still. Isn’t it a fact that your campaign, in connection with the RNC, which is co-chaired by your daughter-in-law Lara Trump, put the architects of Project 2025 in charge of the Republican platform?

John McEntee

Let’s talk about other people on Project 2025 whom you claim not to know or have anything to do with.

You also know John McEntee, right? Oh, you don’t recall? Let me refresh you. He was once your bag boy, but you promoted him to director of the Presidential Personnel Office. He went on a crusade to rid the administration of anyone who was remotely disloyal. Surely you were aware? That’s why you promoted him, after all, right?

Did you know he’s on Project 2025 as a senior advisor? The Heritage Foundation actually made a big announcement about it. Here’s what they said on their website:

John McEntee, former director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office in the Trump administration, is joining the 2025 Presidential Transition Project (Project 2025) as a senior advisor. The Heritage Foundation announced McEntee’s new role Tuesday as it unveiled the Presidential Personnel Database, a coalition effort to staff the next conservative presidential administration. 

I’m sure it’s just another coincidence that the guy who was in charge of staffing your first administration is in charge of the “Presidential Personnel Database” to help staff your next one, should you win. Just in case it wasn’t clear, here’s Project 2025 laying it out:

McEntee will play a vital role supporting the personnel pillar of Project 2025. Embracing the motto that “personnel is policy,” Project 2025 is launching the database to collect résumés and vet thousands of potential applicants in advance of Jan. 20, 2025, when the next president takes office.  

The vetting is for disloyalty, right? The same as he did for you before, but on a much bigger scale? Don’t they want to fire up to 40,000 federal civil servants and put in MAGA loyalists? Are you saying you really had no idea?

The recruiters

Mr. Trump, is this woman familiar to you? 

Yes, she’s very pretty, but in fairness she looks like a lot of the other women you have hired, so let me refresh your recollection. She is Karoline Leavitt, your campaign’s national press secretary. You work with her on a near daily basis. Ring a bell now?

Did you know she is in recruitment videos for Project 2025? Yes indeed! She is one of the instructors in Project 2025’s “Presidential Administration Academy.” Here’s a screenshot of the video she made for the Heritage Foundation.

Oh, and look, there’s her name right on the website in the course list.

You know who else is in those videos? Your pal Stephen Miller! Yes, the gang’s all back and working together over at Project 2025. Folks call him “Discount Goebbels” if that helps you recall. Miller was one of your speechwriters and a top advisor. He did the whole “family separation” and “kids in cages” thing, remember?

Here’s a screenshot of his own recruitment video for Project 2025:

More receipts

Does all this help you recall, Mr. Trump, that you do in fact know Russ Vought, John McEntee, Karoline Leavitt and Stephen Miller, correct? And they’re all involved with Project 2025, right?

In fact, as Judd Legum of Popular Info showed, the principal drafters of Project 2025 are all deeply connected to you, isn’t that true? Legum put a whole list together. So convenient!

Do I need to walk you through more of these names? These are all credited authors of Project 2025. Their names appear in the left column. On the right is their role in your administration. Still sticking by your claim that you don’t know who is behind it?

Agenda 47

Oh, I see! You claim to have your own “Agenda 47” that has nothing to do with Project 2025! You know, I figured you’d say this. Funny thing is, so much of Agenda 47 aligns with Project 2025. 

Joy Reid of MSNBC did a segment on it last night, in fact. Let’s roll the tape:

But this is just the tip of the iceberg, right? Some pretty diligent sleuths have gone through Agenda 47 as well, including all those terrible videos you posted about it on your campaign website. Here’s a handy chart that’s been circulating, lining up a bunch more items for comparison:

Looking at this, isn’t it fair to say that “Agenda 47” is just a Trumpy word salad containing the same basic objectives of Project 2025? 

Mr. Trump, to borrow an old phrase, you’re putting lipstick on a Project 2025 hog and calling it Agenda 47, but it’s still just a fascist pig, right?

No further questions.