“We must be the great arsenal of democracy.” Franklin Roosevelt, December 29th, 1940. The end of democracy may be in sight as we round the corner of this election cycle. Project 2025, a manifesto planning to turn the United States into a conservative regime, could be institutionalized as Republicans and Trump Loyalists have recently won control over the entire government. Trump will soon have the ability to pass any bill, act, or case with little if any opposition. Project 2025 is a clear goal Trump may follow to transform power in the United States. But what is Project 2025?

“Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Abraham Lincoln

Project 2025 is a political agenda to reshape and establish a conservative Government based on 4 pillars: a policy agenda, personnel, training, and a 180-day playbook. Primarily made by The Heritage Foundation, with help from over 100 more conservative organizations, the ‘Project’ is a radical plan that will encourage the end of the Democracy we have in America. The sheer openness of the plans stated is astounding; having no discretion. 

The first pillar, the policy agenda, otherwise called the “Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise,” is the largest part of Project 2025. Its 900-page list of mouth-dropping proposals affects the rights of women, LGBTQ, immigrants, and the rights of many other minority groups. It calls for an entire change in the current system, becoming a playground for pseudo-fascism: engaging in dehumanizing descriptions of immigrants, establishing a dictatorial government in the executive branch, and promoting militarised-nationalistic beliefs like ‘America First.’

Let’s dissect the Mandate for Leadership by going through some of its most repulsive statements.

Project 2025 – Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise

The documents, while not directly admitting it, are very keen on getting rid of the First Amendment: wanting to establish the government as a Christian nation; using law enforcement to suppress and detain protesters; and doing away with protections for gender, race, and nationality. The Grand Ol’ Party doesn’t sound very pro-Constitution and pro-First Amendment now. 

Degrading language is used to describe women and those of the LGBTQ, the term ‘woke’ is derogatorily used 35 times to describe their civil rights. The writers of Project 2025 are calling for the direct abolishment of these rights, they also mention outlawing pornography within the same sections, contributing gay and trans people as predators. 

‘Abortion’ is used 200 times listing a complete ban of the right. On average every year, over 600,000 Americans received abortions until Trump was able to use the Supreme Court to ban it in 13 states. “One in 20 women in the United States have experienced a pregnancy from rape, sexual coercion, or both during their lifetimes,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pronatalism scheming is a horrifying trend to shed women of their rights and to use them only for self-interest. The truth is that conservatives don’t care about women, they only value women to have babies and be used for their bodies. 

Continuing with its degradation of civil rights, it also blames all the issues black families face on ‘fatherlessness,’ which is clear modern-day racism. 

No one behind Project 2025 cares about you. The mandate includes a large amount of Hiterlerian rhetoric, and removing hundreds of government agencies.

Some of these include: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS); the Department of Commerce (DOC); the Department of Education; the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI); the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). And will reduce the budgets and heavily regulate: the Department of Justice (DOJ); the Department of Agriculture (USDA); The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They also ask that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) be privatized, which reveals how they wish to bend the government into a puppet-state owned by corporations. Project 2025 also calls to expand the Department of Defense by making the Coast Guard used for war. 

The majority of Project 2025 is to transform the government into a conservative regime, this is done in many ways, including by consolidating power to only individuals devoted to Trump. They will create a “conservative LinkedIn” to find and only hire conservatives entirely loyal to Trump. They will be tested not based on competence but on whether their beliefs align entirely with those of the conservative government. Not only does this sound incredibly childish, but also insane, which is a good way to describe the Project as a whole. 

The Project is very hypocritical in its messages, while it calls for an end to the ‘administrative state,’ it plans to do this by further increasing the power the President has over the people and making it harder for the people to have voting power over officials. This further can be used as an example to describe the wishes of the modern-day Republican party. The party has shifted from its very humble and liberal beginnings in 1850 to an increasingly conservative loyalist ecosphere that values power even over their own ideology. State rights till it’s about guns, the party of life until its about school shootings, and small government till its a conservative government. 

According to Democracy Forward, Project 2025 would:

• Cut overtime protections for 4.3 million workers
• Stop efforts to lower prescription drug prices
• Limit access to food assistance, which an average of more than 40 million people in 21.6 million households rely on monthly
• Eliminate the Head Start early education program, which serves over 1 million children annually
• Cut American Rescue Plan (ARP) programs that have created or saved 220,000 jobs
• Restrict access to medication abortion
• Push more of the 33 million people enrolled in Medicare towards Medicare Advantage and other worse, private options
• Expose the 368,000 children in foster care to the risk of increased discrimination
• Deny students in 25 states and Washington, D.C., access to student loans because their state provides in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants
• Roll back civil rights protections across multiple fronts, including cutting diversity, equity, and inclusion-related (DEI) programs and LGBTQ+ rights in health care, education, and workplaces

• “Congress should clarify Title VII’s religious organization exemptions to make it more explicit that those employers may make employment decisions based on religion regardless of nondiscrimination laws.” Project 2025, The General Welfare, Page 586
• “Abolishing the Gender Policy Council would eliminate central promotion of abortion (‘health services’); comprehensive sexuality education (‘education’); and the new woke gender ideology” Project 2025, Taking The Reigns Of Government, Page 62
• “Eliminate Marxist indoctrination and divisive critical race theory programs and abolish newly established diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and staff.” Project 2025, The Common Defense, Page 103
• “the NIH Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, which pushes such unlawful actions, should be abolished.” Project 2025, The General Welfare, Page 462
• “The next conservative President must make the institutions of American civil society hard targets for woke culture warriors. This starts with deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion Foreword (“DEI”), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights” Project 2025, Foreward: A Promise to America, Page 4-5
• “Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered.” Project 2025, Foreward: A Promise to America, Page 5
• “Congress should also consider whether public-sector unions are appropriate in the first place.” Project 2025, Taking the Reigns of Government, Page 82
• “Our primary recommendation is that the President pursue legislation to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).” Project 2025, The Common Defense, Page 133
• “The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) be privatized.” Project 2025, The Common Defense, Page 134
• “The noxious tenets of “critical race theory” and “gender ideology” should be excised from curricula in every public school in the country. These theories poison our children, who are being taught on the one hand to affirm that the color of their skin fundamentally determines their identity and even their moral status while on the other they are taught to deny the very creatureliness that inheres in being human and consists in accepting the givenness of our nature as men or women.” Project 2025, Foreward: A Promise to America, Page 5
• “Forty percent of all children are born to unmarried mothers, including more than 70 percent of black children. There is no government program that can replace the hole in a child’s soul cut out by the absence of a father. Fatherlessness is one of the principal sources of American poverty, crime, mental illness, teen suicide, substance abuse, rejection of the church, and high school dropouts.” Project 2025, Foreward: A Promise to America, Page 4
• “Finally, conservatives should gratefully celebrate the greatest pro-family win in a generation: overturning Roe v. Wade” Project 2025, Foreward: A Promise to America, Page 6
• “The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) be moved to DOJ and, in time of full-scale war (i.e., threatening the homeland), to the Department of Defense (DOD). Alternatively, USCG should be moved to DOD for all purposes.” Project 2025, The Common Defense, Page 134
• “To truly secure the homeland, a conservative Administration needs to return the department to the right mission, the right size, and the right budget. This would include reorganizing the department and shifting significant resources away from several supporting components to the essential operational components” Project 2025, The Common Defense, Page 135
• “A conservative Administration should eliminate any prohibitive guidance, direction, or mandate from DHS or the Administration that curtails or limits CBP from publishing detailed border security and enforcement data not impacting intelligence, interdiction, and investigative operations, methods, or sources.” Project 2025, The Common Defense, Page 139
• “our online personnel database. This “Conservative LinkedIn” will launch in March and will provide an opportunity for rock-solid conservatives to place themselves in contention for roles in the next administration. This pillar will bring Mr. (and Mrs.) Smith to Washington.” – The American Conservative, Project 2025

“Dictatorships are one-way streets. Democracy boasts two-way traffic.” Albert Moravia

How Is Trump Connected to Project 2025?

As many have become more aware of the egregious statements within Project 2025, Trump has taken a strong stance, stating he has no connection to the Project and he does not endorse it. Even if you look past the fact that ‘Trump’ is mentioned over 300 times in the Mandate, he is still undeniably connected and has acted so. As to what is known so far, 140 people who have worked for Trump have contributed to Project 2025, and 240 people have connections to both. 

Let’s look at some of these people and what they have contributed. 

• Paul Dans is the director of Project 2025 and served as Trump’s Chief of Staff for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management
• Spencer Chretien served as Trump’s ‘special assistant,’ and he is also the Associate Director of Project 2025
• Adam Candeub served as Deputy Associate Attorney General under Trump in 2020 and wrote the last chapter of the Mandate for Leadership. 
• Ken Cuccinelli, who was ‘unlawfully appointed’ as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security under Trump, according to a congressional watchdog, wrote parts in Project 2025. 
• Rick Dearborn authored a chapter in the Mandate for Leadership, he was also Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff
• Russell Vought authored a chapter in the Mandate for Leadership, he was Director of the Office of Management and Budget under Trump
• Dennis Dean Kirk was Senior Advisor at the Office of Personnel Management under Trump, he is also the Associate Director of Personnel Policy for Project 2025

Trump directly hired John McEntee as Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. John McEntee is one of the many writers of Project 2025. He has become semi-famous on TikTok with the username ‘Date Right Stuff’ and has publicly stated we should ‘do away with the 19th amendment’ and have ‘male only voting.’ He is very forward about his outrageous beliefs, showing the prominence that someone so abhorrent can have on younger audiences. What’s also very prominent is the urge many people have to punch him in his incredibly smug face; this is a common symptom of having ‘humanity.’

There are also many more that can be listed, but due to constraints from the sheer length, I am only able to add their names. These people include his lawyers, advisors, staff, government officials, judges, Senators, Representatives, and more, most of which were directly appointed by Trump: Mark Meadows; Stephen Miller; Jay Sekulow; Cleta Mitchell; John Eastman; Lisa Correnti; Brett Tolman; Steven Groves; Jonathan Berry; Adam Caneub; Dustin J. Carmack; Ben Carson; Diana Furchtgott-Roth; Thomas Gilman; Mandy Gunasekara; Gene Hamilton; Jennifer Hazelton; Troup Hemenway; Bernard McNamee; Christopher Miller; Stephen Moore; Mora Namdar; Peter Navarro; William Perry Pendley; Max Primorac; Roger Severino; Kiron Skinner; Brooks Tucker; Hans von Spakovsky; William Walton; Paul Winfreel; William Perry Pendley; Jonathan Berry; Robert Bowes.

Many more names are unlisted, but regardless of how many, Donald Trump has remained conclusive that he bears no connection. He has made these statements on social media, including his own Twitter clone, ‘Truth Social.’

But, if we go back further, we can find where he publicly endorsed Project 2025. Here is a quick video from the Washington Post which shows compilations of Trump’s comments on Project 2025 and its authors:

CBS News confirmed that Trump is expected to name Russ Vought, a main writer of Project 2025, as leader of the Office of Management and Budget. So far, Trump has nominated at least 7 people to his cabinet who are confirmed to have either directed or written for the Mandate for Leadership.

“Despite repeated warnings / Our danger’s up ahead / The captain won’t be listening / To what’s been said / It feels that there’s a good chance / That we have been misled” – Paul McCartney

Conservatives Are Now Admitting They Support Project 2025

Since Former President Donald Trump won the election, many right-wingers and conservatives have come out in support of Project 2025. Most of them have been influencers, maybe using it to get attention from the dwindling fan base or maybe because they finally feel confident enough to proclaim their radical views. 

Matt Walsh, host of his own political podcast and personality on the Daily Wire, recently joked on Twitter about Project 2025

Steven Bannon, Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist, who was indicted for contempt of Congress and was sentenced to 4 months in prison, responded to Matt Walsh’s post. “Matt Walsh, I think, is a very smart and funny guy,” He also called it “fabulous” and said it should be “put everywhere.” Maybe it was just a joke, and maybe it was something more, regardless of which, neither Bannon nor Walsh have been quick to denounce Project 2025. 

Republican Party Chairman in Texas, Bo French, asked if “we admit now that we are going to implement Project 2025.” He was previously receiving much controversy after describing Kamala Harris with the very intellectual terms: “retarded,” and “gay.” He later said, “Once again you prove that leftist have no sense of humor. How sad you are. Cry more.”

“Everybody counts in applying democracy. And there will never be a true democracy until every responsible and law-abiding adult in it, without regard to race, sex, color or creed has his or her own inalienable and unpurchasable voice in government.” – Carrie Chapman Catt

How Trump Wants to and Could Innact Project 2025

In his former presidency, President-Elect Donald Trump appointed 3 judges to the Supreme Court, gaining majority support from the justices. Using the Supreme Court, Trump was able to repeal abortion protection, ban 170 million Muslims from entering the country, and give himself full immunity for the crimes he committed while in office.

Republicans have won the majority of the Senate and only need 4 more seats to control the House of Representatives. The House and Senate are both part of the Legislative Branch, the Presidency is part of the Executive Branch, and the Supreme Court is the highest court in the Judicial Branch. Trump will have complete control over these 3 branches of government; this will invalidate the purpose of the Separation of Powers. Many confuse this with the ‘Government Trifecta,’ but this only pertains when holding the House, Senate, and Presidency.

The Supreme Court is composed of eight Associate Justices and one Chief Justice. When there’s a vacancy, the president nominates a person to be a Justice on the court. The Senate then votes to confirm or deny the nominee, including the Chief Justice. These Justices serve until they retire. They can only be removed if impeached, which is incredibly rare and has only happened once. To reach a verdict, a majority of the Justices have to agree.

From 2017 to 2020, Trump appointed 3 judges, replacing Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, and the legendary Ruth Bader Ginsburg following her death, with Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. During his first term, he was able to abuse his majority in the court.

Repealing Roe V. Wade

In 1973, Roe V. Wade was a landmark case in the Supreme Court, ruling that the Constitution protected women’s right to have abortions. In June of 2022, the Court voted 6 to 3 in favor of Jackon Women’s Health Organization in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. The Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion, repealing Roe V. Wade. Women now have lost the right to abortion in 14 states and have had their rights further limited in 28 states.

Muslim Ban

In a 5-4 opinion, the Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump could ban almost all travelers and refugees from 7 countries, most of which were prominently composed of Muslims. This barred around 170 million Muslims from being able to enter the United States, this was a pure act of racism and xenophobia. The racial discrimination present in Trump’s rhetoric is certain, in an interview with the Brody File, he said, “Bill O’Reilly asked me is there a Muslim problem? And I said absolutely, yes. In fact I went a step further. I said I didn’t see Swedish people knocking down the World Trade Center.” Here is Donald Trump also announcing the ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.’

Trump Immunity Case

In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump is ‘immune from criminal liability for his official acts, and is absolutely immune for some core of them.’ This comes after Special Counsel Jack Smith validly alleged that Trump had conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election. So now Presidents are allowed to break the law if it is deemed ‘core’ to their responsibilities as President. In the 2020 election, Trump launched an elector fraud scheme to try to overturn the results and make himself President, but this failed party due to his Vice-President Mike Pence, who deemed it was unconstitutional.

Mike Pence saved the nation that day, and many Trump supporters even wanted to hang him., But now Vice President-elect JD Vance has come out and said, “If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors, and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there.”

Conclusion

The threat of Project 2025 is real and horrifying. Now that Donald J. Trump has won the Presidential election, he could have the chance to implement key parts of the Mandate for Leadership, which would strip people of their rights, make it harder for people to have representation, and create a pseudo-fascist conservative regime destroying the foundations of America. 

But there is something you can do.

If more Americans learn of Project 2025 and resist it, Trump will be forced to listen to the people and not push goals in Project 2025. Do not exonerate the oppression; do not accept defeat. “The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up,” President Joe Biden said. But we cannot be sure as to what will happen. All we can do is hope and pray that good people will stand up for the Constitution and the Rule of Law to save America once again.  

The Trojan Tribune will keep you updated on the latest political news.

Sources:

• https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
• https://www.project2025.org
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