Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Friday criticized former President Trump’s attempts to distance himself from his conservative governing plan known as “Project 2025.”
“Okay, let’s all play dumb for a second… so how do you “oppose” something you “know nothing about” or “have no idea who is saying or doing it?” Steele I wrote to Social platform X.
“#Project2025 is designed to institutionalize Trumpism and you know nothing about it so why are you repeating some of its policy priorities at a rally? Coincidence?” he said, later adding, “And people are saying we should be worried.” [President] Biden.”
The former president spoke out against the project on Truth Social early Friday morning, calling some of its aims “totally ridiculous and terrible.” Trump also claimed he “knows nothing about Project 2025,” saying he doesn’t know who is behind it but wishes them the best.
“I know nothing about Project 2025 and I don’t know who is behind it,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee wrote. “I don’t agree with some of what they’re saying and some of what they’re saying is just ridiculous and egregious.”
Steele denounced Trump’s claims and highlighted the project’s ties to senior officials in the Trump administration, including its director, Paul Danz, who served as chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management, and its deputy director, Spencer Chretien, a former special assistant to Trump.
Project 2025 is a 900-page outline of conservative priorities prepared by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation in case the Republicans take the White House. The list includes five main themes – “control of government,” “common defense,” “general welfare,” “the economy” and “independent regulatory institutions” – and offers a wide range of policy proposals.
One priority on the agenda is the reimplementation of Schedule F, which would reclassify federal employees to make them easier to fire and replace with partisan favorites. The Associated Press This was reported It affects 50,000 workers.
Steele has largely moved away from the Republican Party since Trump’s first term in office, joining the Lincoln Project PAC in 2020 and endorsing Biden for president.
He was not the only one to call Trump’s remarks hypocritical.
Biden-Harris campaign I took him to X Shortly after the former president posted, Trump accused him of “desperately lying.” The team also shared a video of Trump at a Heritage Foundation event soliciting support for the organization, though it’s unclear when the video was filmed.
Project 2025 A statement was issued X reinforces Trump’s statement.
“As we have said for over two years, Project 2025 does not represent any particular candidate or campaign,” the post read. “We are a coalition of over 110 conservative organizations advocating for policy and personnel recommendations for the next conservative president.”
“However, which recommendations are implemented will ultimately be up to the president, and we believe that will be Trump,” the project leaders added.
