OAN’s Brooke Mallory
Friday, July 5, 2024 3:11 PM
Former President Donald Trump on Friday sought to disassociate himself from Project 2025, a conservative initiative put out by the Republican think tank the Heritage Foundation, saying he had “nothing to do” with the project after critics on the left alleged that Trump was personally involved.
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“Heritage’s mission is to develop and promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual liberty, traditional American values, and a strong national defense,” the organization’s website states.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was not involved in the think tank’s proposal, which lists a number of initiatives and ideas that conservatives believe a future Republican administration should undertake.
“I don’t know anything about Project 2025. I don’t know who’s behind it,” he said. “I don’t agree with some of the things they’re saying, and some of the things they’re saying are totally ridiculous and terrible. I wish them the best of luck in whatever they do, but I have nothing to do with them.”
The 900-page 2025 Presidential Transition Project is a “governing agenda” that incorporates analysis from policy experts and academics as well as conservative priorities. Five main issues — “Taking Control of Government,” “The Common Defense,” “The General Welfare,” “The Economy,” and “Independent Regulators” — divide the project into sections.
The project has made a range of policy recommendations, most notably a call to restructure executive branch powers. It also calls for the shutdown of several government agencies and cuts to abortion funding. The group also wants to revoke the approval of the abortion drug mifepristone.
The reintroduction of Schedule F, a classification that would make it easier to fire federal employees and replace them with Trump’s “loyal supporters,” is another proposal.
“President Trump originally signed an executive order establishing Schedule F in October 2020, but President Biden After taking office, he rescinded that order and approved new rules making it harder to fire career civil servants. The Hill report.
Democrats, meanwhile, have denounced the Heritage Foundation’s project, calling it “evidence of a radical agenda” they say Trump would carry out if re-elected.
Last month, House Democrats formed a task force to oppose Project 2025, arguing that the project is a threat to the “foundations of American democracy” and government.
The project was launched two years ago by the Heritage Foundation in response to criticism from conservatives who allege that a small number of federal officials are part of a deep state bent on undermining Republican policies.
But the conservative think tank has said it does not advise any candidates and that it is up to the president to decide whether to implement the organization’s recommendations.
Following Trump’s comments on Friday, representatives from the project reiterated this on X, saying it does not speak for any particular candidate or campaign, but is a coalition of 110 conservative groups that support personnel and policy proposals for the next conservative administration.
“But it will ultimately be up to the presumptive president, who will likely be Trump, to decide which recommendations to implement,” they say. “Instead of obsessing over Project 2025, the Biden team should address 25 of those issues.”Number Correction.”
The coalition supporting the effort also includes several conservative groups led by former members of the Trump administration.
President Trump has not endorsed the proposal, but said in a campaign video last year that he would reinstate Schedule F if he won.
“First, I will immediately reissue my 2020 executive order, restoring the President’s authority to remove corrupt government officials, and I will use that authority very aggressively,” Trump said.
Trump’s advisers have said in the past that claims about his policies made by sources other than the campaign or Trump himself should not be taken as official or serious.
Amar Moosa, the Biden campaign’s quick response director, called the project “an extreme policy and personnel strategy for Trump’s second term that should terrify the American people.”
He said project executives and staffers “regularly” highlight their ties to the Trump campaign and are spearheading policy preparations for this year’s Republican National Convention, in addition to working on Trump’s “debate preparation, campaign and inner circle.”
“President Trump’s Supreme Court and Project 2025 are maneuvers designed to realize his dream of becoming a dictator with unlimited imperial power from day one,” Musa added.
Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Ida Roth echoed similar sentiments in a statement.
“Donald Trump and Project 2025 have made that clear, they are one big MAGA operation working together on an extreme agenda to take away freedoms and undermine democracy,” Ross argued.
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