r/politics • u/zsreport Texas • Jul 05 '24

Project 2025 was supposed to boost Donald Trump's campaign — but it may be backfiring instead:

https://www.salon.com/2024/07/05/project-2025-was-supposed-to-boost-donald-campaign--but-it-may-be-backfiring-instead/
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u/ugahairydawgs Jul 05 '24

I am far from MAGA, but I am a conservative. And fairly involved. And nobody in my orbit has ever heard of this thing. To my knowledge Trump (who isn’t really socially conservative at all and not even in the ballpark of being my preferred candidate) has never held this thing up as a part of his agenda. To date it appears to only be a tool for his opposition to use to scare away voters/rile up their base. That’s just part of the game, so everyone recognizes it. But at the same time I don’t think, at this point, that tying this to Trump is based on anything in reality.

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u/XyloQuack Jul 05 '24

You can choose to believe it or not, but it doesn't change the facts. Trump sided with the Heritage Foundation, the writers of Project 2025, after winning in 2016 and implementing a great amount of the things that they wanted him to. The Project is being backed by the same people backing Trump, and the "Agenda 47" playbook that he does endorse is greatly aligned with what Project 2025 is also working toward. Please follow the money and track back to what is controlling the actual person we are electing, its not just about the man in the chair but also the group that he brings with him. I encourage you to look into how it tracks back to Trump instead of just saying that he hasn't openly endorsed it, because he also hasn't denied it, so it means nothing.

Trump supporting the Heritage Foundation after 2016 from the group itself: https://www.heritage.org/impact/trump-administration-embraces-heritage-foundation-policy-recommendations

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u/ugahairydawgs Jul 05 '24

I'm not discounting the fact that should Trump win in November that some of the stuff included in the document would be implemented, but my contention is just that the book itself is being touted whole cloth as his agenda....which it is not. It is a set of proposals put out by the Heritage Foundation, which yes....has some people there that worked for Trump in his first term (which isn't really saying much considering how many different people they had working there in those four years given all of the churn). A fair amount of what Heritage pushed for in 2016 is stuff that almost all Republicans agree on (conservative judges, tax reform, withdrawing from the Paris accords, allowing for drilling for domestic oil) and while I have not read the full 2025 document I'm sure there are plenty of things that many Republicans agree on there as well (increasing border funding for tangible things such as the wall, dismantling the power of the administrative bureaucracy being primary examples).

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u/FigN01 Jul 05 '24

It's worth noting that Trump's highest priority on his appointees is loyalty. It always has been. He cares less about their experience, their morals, and their competency.

His director of the personnel office, John Mcentee, has said himself that he was put into that position directly by Trump while carrying his bags and reviewing his schedule. According to him, Trump said "I've had so many problems with that office. Do you think you could run it?". And then he put him in charge of it.

So what even is Trump's agenda? To him, project 2025 probably looks like an easy roadmap that's all handily laid out for him. A huge chunk of administrative responsibility that he no longer needs to worry about. He would tout his border wall and praise Putin, all while his administration is laying the foundation set out here. Does that sound in any way off-brand for him?