Chicago’s exciting festival For Democrats, this week’s speeches serve several purposes: to show enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris, the current frontrunner who they hope to capitalize on; to honor and thank President Joe Biden for passing the torch; and, of course, to attack former President Donald Trump, offering Americans a contrast to his potential second term as president. Among the many side events and panel discussions scheduled for the week, a notable link to the elected officials’ speeches and appeals was the specter of Project 2025, a conservative manifesto and blueprint for the new Trump administration led by the Heritage Foundation.
In the hallways of the DNC, delegates carried signs declaring “Fuck Project 2025,” and in primetime speeches they derided the plan as brutal and radical. Mother Jones Pema Levy recently wrote that the right-wing initiative outlines a “radical restructuring of the federal government that combines the authoritarian goals of the MAGA movement with the deregulatory dreams of America’s wealthy.” Under the proposal, government agencies would be used to end abortion access, prosecute Trump’s enemies, roll back EPA regulations, and close the Department of Education. Mother Jones Julia Metrox recently reported that Project 2025 would dramatically roll back workplace discrimination protections. Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from the roadmap since he realized how unpopular it was during his presidency.
Democrats won’t be so easily persuaded. Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow brought a giant Project 2025 prop to the DNC stage Monday night, warning of an unprecedented “expansion of presidential power” if Trump gets into the White House.
Mother Jones We met with several delegates and officials to learn more about Democrats’ strategy for casting the Heritage Foundation document as a threat to democracy, and how they plan to discuss the document with voters as the November election approaches.
“Project 2025 is about turning back the clock,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) told us, but she cautioned that it’s not new. “It’s just being exposed. So people need to know that it’s real, and they want to do it. And we’re not going to let that happen.”
“This is part of the MAGA extremist Republican agenda of the Trump era, and here he is denying it,” Lee added. “I mean, come on, please. Pathological liar.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) emphasized that Trump can run, but he can’t hide from Project 2025. Democrats like Khanna are keen to keep pushing this point. “His entire transition team and everyone he’s putting in government are basically believers in Project 2025,” he said. Mother Jones“But voters know that’s the agenda his appointees will implement.”
