Trump Campaign Dismisses Project 2025 as ‘Speculation’

The Trump campaign is vigorously distancing itself from Project 2025, a controversial policy agenda that has been associated with a potential second term for former President Donald Trump. In a recent interview with Politico, campaign manager Chris LaCivita dismissed Project 2025 as irrelevant and described it as a “pain in the ass.” He asserted that the project, which outlines extreme right-wing policy proposals, does not represent the Trump campaign’s agenda and is being mischaracterized as having any connection to Trump.

Project 2025, crafted by the Heritage Foundation along with several conservative think tanks, provides a detailed 900-page blueprint for a future conservative administration. This document proposes extensive reforms across numerous federal agencies, advocating for significant reductions in government spending and bureaucracy, and calls for a substantial increase in presidential authority. It includes sweeping proposals aimed at implementing right-wing ideologies throughout the executive branch.

Despite Project 2025’s prominence, Trump has publicly distanced himself from it, criticizing some of its proposals as “ridiculous and abysmal” and claiming he has no knowledge of who created the plan. Nonetheless, reports have highlighted that many of the individuals involved in developing Project 2025 are former Trump administration officials, including several high-ranking Cabinet members, which has led to speculation about the project’s connection to Trump.

LaCivita has rejected these speculative links, calling them “pure speculation.” He emphasized that just because former Trump staffers were involved in creating Project 2025, it does not mean that the project reflects Trump’s or the campaign’s views. LaCivita stressed that Trump has “made it perfectly clear” he is not associated with Project 2025. He further criticized the focus on this agenda, suggesting it is a distraction from the issues central to the Trump campaign’s strategy. According to LaCivita, Project 2025 has been a “pain in the ass” for the campaign, complicating their messaging and focus.

In his comments, LaCivita noted, “I think that in the perfect world, from their perspective, they would love to drive the issue set,” referring to the creators of Project 2025. “But they don’t get to do that,” he added, indicating that the project creators do not control the narrative or agenda of Trump’s campaign.

Project 2025 outlines a range of proposals designed to overhaul the federal government. It advocates for reducing government spending and bureaucracy, increasing presidential control over federal agencies, and promoting right-wing values. The plan includes replacing many career civil servants with political appointees, reorganizing or eliminating several federal agencies, including the Departments of Education and Homeland Security, and scaling back government initiatives related to climate change and transgender rights. It also suggests ending student loan forgiveness programs and implementing a new tax structure that eliminates current deductions and credits.

Although Trump has criticized Project 2025, his past praise for the Heritage Foundation’s policy work has led to speculation about his connection to the project. In 2022, Trump acknowledged the Heritage Foundation’s role in shaping conservative policies and suggested that their work would influence his administration if he were to receive a strong mandate from voters. Additionally, Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance, has close ties to the Heritage Foundation, with its president acknowledging Vance’s potential leadership role within the movement.

The potential impact of Project 2025 on a future Trump administration remains uncertain. Even if Trump were to align himself with the project, he would not be legally bound to follow its policy proposals. Historically, Trump has considered recommendations from the Heritage Foundation, adhering to a significant portion of its suggestions during his first term. Trump has also released his own policy proposals, known as Agenda47, which share similarities with Project 2025, such as opposition to transgender rights, emphasis on school choice, and the removal of career bureaucrats. However, Agenda47 also includes additional proposals, such as the creation of new “freedom cities” on unused federal land.

Since its release in 2023, Project 2025 has gained increased national attention, especially after Trump publicly rejected it on July 5 via Truth Social. The Biden campaign and Democratic supporters have leveraged Project 2025 to criticize Trump’s candidacy, using it as a focal point in their attacks as President Joe Biden’s campaign faced scrutiny following recent debates. Project 2025 is part of a broader tradition of policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation, which has produced similar plans for every election cycle since Ronald Reagan’s presidency. In addition to its policy recommendations, Project 2025 includes a database for potential appointees and training programs, as well as plans to release a “playbook” outlining the first 180 days of a potential Trump presidency.