Opinion: Voters opposed to Trump’s Project 2025 playbook

By Steve Corbin

Professor Emeritus of Marketing, University of Northern Iowa

Of the nearly 200 op-eds written as a free-lance columnist contributor to 181 news agencies in 39 states (circa 2013-present), none has received wider readership than the one published June 4 in The Fulcrum titled `Project 2025 is a threat to democracy.’ The Fulcrum reports democracy-related news and holds a Media Bias Fact Check rating of high credibility and high factual reporting.

After the record breaking op-ed (74,500 views), The Fulcrum published a cross-partisan analysis of Project 2025 that relies on unbiased critical thinking, reexamines outdated assumptions, and uses reason, scientific evidence and data in analyzing and critiquing Project 2025.

Here’s the link to read all 28 of the Project 2025 cross-partisan op-eds, which are void of pre-determined left- or right-wing solutions that explores the nuances and complexities of Project 2025: https://thefulcrum.us/tag/project-2025.

If you’re not familiar with Project 2025, it is a playbook specifically created for Donald Trump to use in the first 180 days of his second presidential administration. The far-right wing extremist group Heritage Foundation spent $22 million to create the 887-page policy book; written by 34 authors, 277 contributors, 54-member advisory board and a coalition of 110 conservative organizations (e.g., American Legislative Exchange Council, Heartland Institute, Liberty University, Middle East Forum, Moms for Liberty, NRA, Pro-Life America, Tea Party Patriots, etc.). Project 2025 is available to read online; formally called Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise.

It’s important to know Kevin Roberts, Heritage Foundation’s president, has close affiliations with Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and referred to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Hungarian dictatorship as “the model” of conservative politics (Newsweek, July 5).

The 30 chapters of Project 2025 are a daunting read, described by Politico as an authoritarian Christian nationalist movement with the purposeful intention of moving America from a democracy to an autocracy-fascist oriented country (Feb. 20).

Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, though at least 140 people who worked in the Trump administration were involved in writing Project 2025 (CNN, July 11). Vance wrote the foreward to Kevin Robert’s upcoming

book, though – interestingly – due to mounting controversy over Project 2025, purchasing the book has been delayed until after the Nov. 5 election.

Additionally, 23 videos with 14 hours of content have been prepared to coach future Trump administration appointees on how to implement Project 2025′s 30 chapters’ worth of changing America’s form of government to a dictatorship and undermine the rule of law, separation of powers, civil liberties and separation of church and state. Twenty-nine of the 36 training video speakers have worked for Trump or Vance (ProPublica, Aug. 10).

At 9:39 a.m. on July 5, Trump posted on his Truth Social website: “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying ... .” Will Bunch, national columnist, wrote in a Las Vegas Sun op-ed: “I wish Trump luck in getting a single person, on either side of the political divide, to believe that he knows nothing about Project 2025, yet somehow knows that he disagrees with most of it. Indeed, this is Trump’s 2024 version of the big lie ...” (July 10).

So let’s see. Fallen U.S. soldiers are “suckers” and “losers,” stolen 2020 election, “very special” Jan. 6 rioters, didn’t know E. Jean Carroll, didn’t have sex with a porn star, U.S. confidential classified documents are personal, America is a third-world country and now “I know nothing about Project 2025.”

There’s a preponderance of evidence – a standard of proof used in most civil trials — that links Trump and Vance to Project 2025.

A July 8-11 YouGov poll found 59 percent of American adults are aware of Project 2025; comprised by 71 percent of Democrats, 55 percent of Republicans and 50 percent of independents.

A YouGov survey found 67.8 percent of the proposed Project 2025 policies are opposed by Americans (Newsweek, July 9). Might this suggest about one of every three adults – possibly MAGA Republicans – favor presidential dictatorship, Christian nationalism and the power of white male supremacy?

Project 2025 is an issue every registered voter ought to become very knowledgeable about. If Trump is elected, there is an exceedingly high probability he will act upon the multi-pronged recommendations contained within the 30 chapters during the Jan. 20-July 18, 2025 time period, changing America from a democracy to an authoritarian-fascist country, just like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Hungary.

This is not an election to sit out. Your vote on Nov. 5 will identify the future lifestyle of your children, grandchildren and heirs down-the-road . . . should they decide to reside within the United States of America.