Project 2025: Blueprint for Expanding Executive Power

Key Quotes

"it was kind of this you know multi pronged transition and waiting for the next presidency a conservative presidency it was put together by some of trump's closest allies from his first presidency and you know kind of organized by the heritage foundation a conservative think tank now those prongs included a call for young conservatives kind of a hiring service it was described at some point like a conservative linkedin there was also a training program there was also many many pre written executive orders that trump could roll out on day one many of which he did and most notably and most controversially there was this 922 page blueprint for the next republican president with the primary goal of expanding executive power"

Franco Ordoñez explains that Project 2025 was a comprehensive initiative by conservative allies and the Heritage Foundation. Ordoñez highlights its multiple components, including a conservative hiring service, training programs, pre-written executive orders, and a significant policy blueprint focused on expanding executive power.

"yeah it was definitely a major talking point for democrats on the trail and it was because of the controversial policies that were in that blueprint i mean it called for mass deportations eliminating the department of education but it also had things like stricter controls on abortion and slashing climate protections and democrats they zeroed in on some of the most controversial parts such as the stricter controls on abortion and not only did it become a big part of the campaign it was a huge part of the democratic national convention"

Ashley Lopez describes how Democrats weaponized Project 2025 during campaigns due to its controversial policies. Lopez points out specific examples like mass deportations and eliminating the Department of Education, noting that Democrats focused on issues such as abortion controls. Lopez also mentions its prominent use at the Democratic National Convention.

"well i think it's a lot different what on you know when something hasn't happened yet versus when something does i think that you know there were a lot of democrats um who were sort of signaling uh that this could be a blueprint uh and the trump campaign decided to say uh you know this is getting unpopular so we're going to say no we're i have nothing to do with this trump said you know but as those of us who cover this you know how do you settle that right you've got people saying uh on the one hand uh this is his blueprint you have the trump campaign on the other saying no no no uh watch what i do not what this thing says and while all along people were more concerned about the cost of living uh and you know most people aren't following politics all that closely every single day and i think it became really difficult for uh democrats to be able to say see this is the thing they're going to do when trump was saying no it's not what i'm going to do even though he pretty much went and did it"

Domenico Montanaro analyzes why Project 2025 was not more effectively used by Democrats against Republicans. Montanaro suggests that the distinction between a potential future plan and actual actions, coupled with Trump's denial and public focus on economic issues, made it difficult for Democrats to gain traction. Montanaro notes that Trump's campaign successfully shifted focus away from the blueprint.

"yeah i mean it's a lot i mean you have tightening immigration laws that's probably like the biggest one you know the larger deportation program operation in american history you have drastically reducing the size of the federal government uh removing protections for civil service workers but uh ashley it's not just policy it's also personnel several of trump's cabinet and agency picks were involved with project 2025 the most notable one of course is russ vote who was a key author of project 2025 he's now director of the office of management and budget and that was a job he had in the first administration as well but also brandon carr who is now fcc commission chair and there were also a bunch of contributors uh to project 2025 who have big roles tom homan he's the white house border czar john ratcliffe who is now the cia director and pete hoekstra who is the us ambassador to canada"

Franco Ordoñez details the significant impact of Project 2025 on the federal government. Ordoñez highlights policy changes such as tightened immigration laws and reduced federal government size, alongside personnel appointments. Ordoñez points to key figures like Russ Vought, Brandon Carr, Tom Homan, John Ratcliffe, and Pete Hoekstra, who were involved in Project 2025 and now hold influential government positions.

"well i think there's a couple of things here but first you know a lot of this was done by executive order so it could be undone uh by a future president uh but it's damaged a lot of confidence that people have in wanting to join the federal government i mean the federal government was always seen as a solid secure job now that's not exactly the case because now federal workers have become a target and federal workers were never really um the kind of people who wanted to really be involved in politics they were always seen as civil servants who served in uh multiple you know bipartisan administrations uh so that they could just keep the government running and were always seen as a pillar of that but trump decided to make them into uh a big target project 2025 did so and i think that that might be the most lasting effect that that might not be able to be undone where you're going to see republican presidents in the future probably see them uh as villains instead of uh seeing them as people who are um you know doing the job uh to keep the government running"

Domenico Montanaro discusses the broader significance of Project 2025's implementation in American politics. Montanaro notes that while many actions were executive orders and thus reversible, the initiative has eroded confidence in federal government employment. Montanaro argues that by targeting federal workers, Project 2025 may have created a lasting negative perception of public service for future Republican administrations.

"i agree with what dominico is saying in the sense that you know i don't think you're going to have like a big thick 900 page book for democrats but you know you see this things over i mean you have so many groups that you know kind of lean to the left or you know democrat you have the center for american progress just one example i mean they are definitely putting out policy ideas they are putting out executive orders that they would like to see and not only the think tanks but also activist groups that are trying to push their ideas into friendly politicians' hands so i think the democrats it's going to be a little bit more disparate a little bit less organized it's not going to be in one book but i do think you're going to see you know those aspects and because of project 2025 i think they will potentially be much more aggressive about it"

Ashley Lopez comments on the potential for a Democratic equivalent to Project 2025. Lopez believes that while a single, comprehensive document like Project 2025 is unlikely for Democrats, various progressive think tanks and activist groups are actively developing and promoting policy ideas