Earlier today we noted that Trump, very publicly and very frequently, disavowed any relationship with or affinity for Project 2025, theoretically making it hard for him to use their agenda. But he already is. Yesterday, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Erica Green reiterated that during the campaign, Trump swore he had “nothing to do with” Project 2025 “that would overhaul the federal government, even though many of those involved in developing the plans were his allies. Trump even described many of the policy goals as ‘absolutely ridiculous.’ And during his debate with Harris, he said he was ‘not going to read it.’ Now, as he plans his agenda for his return to the White House, Trump has recruited at least a half dozen architects and supporters of the plan to oversee key issues, including the federal budget, intelligence gathering and his promised plans for mass deportations.”
The shift, his critics say, is not exactly a surprise. Trump disavowed the 900-page manifesto when polls showed it was extremely unpopular with voters. Now that he has won a second term, they say, he appears to be brushing those concerns aside.
Trump has dropped all pretense and is charging ahead hand in hand with the right-wing industry players shaping an agenda he denied for the whole campaign,” said Tony Carrk, the executive director of Accountable.US, a watchdog group that has been tracking Trump’s cabinet picks with ties to the project.
Trump’s cabinet picks and other appointments have reaffirmed the fears of many Democrats and government watchdogs who say Trump will use Project 2025 as a road map to expand his executive power, replace civil servants with political loyalists and gut government agencies like the Department of Education.
Trump has picked Russell Vought, one of the authors of Project 2025, to lead the powerful Office of Management and Budget. In choosing Vought, Trump will have someone who views the position as far more expansive than just overseeing the budget.
Vought wrote in Project 2025 that the person picked for the job should view themselves as an “approximation of the president’s mind,” while establishing a reputation of the keeper of “commander’s intent.”
In the report, Vought wrote that the incoming administration should overhaul executive branch institutions, such as the National Security Council and National Economic Council to align with Trump’s agenda, while abolishing White House offices for domestic climate policy and gender policy.
Earlier this year, Trump tried to distance himself from his former staffers like Vought, who also served as budget chief during his first term. Democrats were ramping up attacks that tied Trump to Project 2025 as voters grew unsettled by its promises to amass power in the executive branch.
“I have no idea who is behind it,” Trump said on social media in July, despite his ties to former staffers like Vought.
…Trump has also tapped Stephen Miller to be his deputy chief of staff for policy and Thomas Homan to be a “border czar,” positions that do not require Senate confirmation. Homan is listed as a contributor to Project 2025. The legal organization Miller founded during Trump’s time out of office, America First Legal, was listed at one point as an adviser group to Project 2025.
Both officials will be responsible for elements of Trump’s goals of establishing detention camps and carrying out mass deportations. The Project 2025 blueprint also recommends rescinding restrictions that prevented immigration agents from carrying out arrests in schools and churches.
Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, wrote a chapter in Project 2025 that called for reining in “Big Tech,” eliminating immunity protections for social media companies and imposing transparency rules on companies like Google, Facebook and YouTube.
…Alex Floyd, the rapid response director of the Democratic National Committee said that “after months of lies to the American people, Donald Trump is taking off the mask.”
“He’s plotting a Project 2025 Cabinet to enact his dangerous vision starting on day one,” Floyd said.
I suppose it's possible that some Trump voters could feel betrayed, especially those who believed the disavowals. But as we’ve seen for years, most Trump supporters prioritize his populist rhetoric and even if they oppose the expansive executive power grabs and ideological purges the project entails and the conflict with small-government conservative ideals his core MAGAt base will remain loyal to the cult leader, prioritizing his broader promises over specific policies. Their reaction might depend on how effectively Democrats highlight the discrepancies and whether these policies directly impact them in ways they perceive as negative.
Let’s face it, his base has demonstrated a high tolerance for his contradictions, constantly rationalizing them as strategic rather than deceitful. For some, the ends— achieving “conservative” goals— justify the means. However, those who took the Project 2025 denials at face value, particularly more policy-focused supporters, might feel alienated or angry if they realize the extent of the deception. The challenge for Democrats is whether this anger can be amplified enough to shift their support or engagement.
Why anyone would listen to a thing he says or thinks he’s telling the truth about anything he says (other than taxes, tariffs, revenge and deportation) has had one’s head in the sand. He is a total liar, unreliable about anything and everything unless it benefits him.