And what should it mean to the average voter?
BY: JACK JURSNICH
Opinions Editor
For the extent that the 2024 presidential race has been unfolding, a 900-page ‘secret plan’ to transition the government into a conservative leadership has been circling in media bubbles, and causing concern and confusion for many American voters. The document is titled Project 2025 and it details many of the policies and goals proposed for the next conservative presidency, such as rebuilding the nuclear family, tightening our borders, and cutting down on all DEI and “woke” policies. Recently, at the Democratic National Convention, a comically-sized copy of Project 2025 was propped around by some of the speakers, where even SNL’s Kenan Thompson made an appearance with the book and made a joke,”Have you ever seen a document that could kill a small animal and democracy at the same time?”
Comparisons between the policies of the Trump campaign and of Project 2025 have been made, with many Democrat leaders and media figures relating things like Trump’s stances on abortion and the Department of Education (DOE) to that of Project 2025. The claim here is that Project 2025 plans to abolish abortion methods and the DOE, and because the project was constructed under those who have backed Trump or worked for his administration, then the project’s policies reflect that of Trump. However, he has since fired back against these claims, and has denied any affiliation or knowledge of Project 2025. Regardless of whether President Trump’s words are truthful, Democrat claims have been held on some very shaky ground, especially since Trump’s position on abortion and the DOE is not to “abolish” them federally but to “leave it up to the states.”
Another mistake coming from outlets like CNN and MSNBC is VP candidate JD Vance’s association with Kevin Roberts, the President of the Heritage Foundation, the organization solely behind Project 2025. Vance has, of course, pushed back against affiliation with Project 2025, and has made very clear that the policies of the project do align in some places, but are not at all the policies of the Trump campaign. The association being claimed here is that since Vance has been in favor of the Heritage Foundation, and since he has also written a foreword to Kevin Roberts’ new book, all this must suggest that Vance is a secret co-author of Project 2025. Believe whatever feels right, but to give an analogy, if I write articles for the Montage, does that automatically make me a mouthpiece speaking on behalf of the Montage? No, it doesn’t.
Similar words were said about President Trump, that since he’s made speeches at the Heritage Foundation, and that people who’ve worked under him are backing the project, then this suggests that he is secretly associated with Project 2025.
Just like the association pinned onto Vance, I see the same mental gymnastics used here: find someone or something seen as negative that’s allegedly associated with Trump, and paint him as the secret conspirator of that negative thing. This is just lazy speculative writing by the press.
To paint another analogy: imagine a man working at Trump Tower, and after years of working for Trump, was found to be a serial killer. Does that make Trump a serial killer, all because that worker was hired under him? To think so would be a ridiculous reach.
The logic of this blame-by-association game is laughable.
To read the full document, click here.
