I told you so. For months leading up to the 2024 election, I and others sounded the alarm about Project 2025, a far-right blueprint aiming to reshape America into an authoritarian state, and one that is reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's book and the subsequent Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale.
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I also said that Donald Trump was lying through his teeth about not having read or known about Project 2025. If you believed him, you can stop reading here.
During the first breathtaking weeks of the second iteration of Trump, I was asked several times about why things were happening so quickly right out of the gate. “How does he know what he’s doing compared to last time,” someone wrote to me. The answer was simple: “He’s just going off the handbook that is Project 2025.”
Do you think for a minute that 140 people put together a 900-page manifesto for the sole purpose of sticking it on a shelf somewhere? Do you think for a minute that these 140 people thought they were writing a work of fiction? The very minute that the presidency was called for Trump last November, it was an all-hands-on-deck moment to get him up to speed on what would be his plan of action once he was sworn into office.
In an interview with Politico last weekend, Paul Dans, the chief architect of Project 2025, expressed elation over the current administration's adoption of his plan. After facing criticism during the 2024 campaign for the project's radical agenda, Dans was pressured to resign from the Heritage Foundation, where Project 2025 originated.
However, he now observes that the Trump administration is implementing policies strikingly similar to those outlined in Project 2025, affirming that the blueprint he helped craft is being realized beyond his “wildest dreams.”
This woefully misguided plan proposed replacing thousands of federal workers with loyalists, restricting access to contraception, instituting a national abortion ban, slashing federal health care programs, and enacting a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives.
It’s March of 2025, and already the above should sound very familiar to you, because Trump did exactly as he was told and instructed by the makers of Project 2025. The loyalists have been installed — Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Pete Hegseth, to name a few,
The Supreme Court's decision to hearBraidwood v. Becerra, a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act's mandate for insurers to cover preventive services like contraception without cost-sharing, could threaten access to birth control for millions of Americans.
Anti-abortion organizations are working to institute a nationwide ban on abortion ban by skewing the meaning of the Comstock Act of 1873 that criminalizes the mailing or transporting of materials, including contraceptives and items intended for abortion. And H.R. 722, the Life at Concept Act, banning abortion nationwide, was introduced in January.
We all know that the recent stopgap spending bill that passed Congress last week calls for deep cuts in Medicare and Medicaid. And unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know how the Trump administration has been targeting the LGBTQ+ community, more specifically, trying to wipe transgender people from the fabric of American society.
Wonder why alarm bells sounded before last year’s November election? Despite warnings, many dismissed these concerns as hyperbolic. Now, as the architect of Project 2025 revels in its implementation, it's clear that our fears were not only justified but are now our stark reality. What is Dane’s wildest dream is now our worst nightmare.
Since his inauguration, Trump has been on a tear, signing and endorsing a series of policy changes that mirror the proposals in Project 2025. One of the administration's first actions was to freeze the hiring of federal civilian employees, excluding military personnel and positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety. These moves squarely align with the project's goal to overhaul the federal workforce by installing individuals loyal to the administration's agenda.
If that isn’t enough to prove Trump did indeed know all about Project 2025, he’s gone a stop further by appointing several key authors of Project 2025 to prominent positions in his administration, who are effectively facilitating the implementation of the project's conservative agenda.
Most prominent — and dangerous — is Russell Vought, a principal contributor to Project 2025, now serves as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. In this role, Vought wields significant influence over federal spending and policy priorities, aligning closely with the project's objectives to reduce government size and expenditure.
Then there’s Peter Navarro, who is one of the most obnoxious individuals not only in the Trump administration but in the entire world. Navarro wrote the “trade” section of Project 2025, advocating for higher tariffs on Europe and China. Wonder why our trade partners are disgusted by us? It’s because the vomit-inducing Navarro came with this genius idea.
In the realm of immigration, Trump late last week invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expedite the deportation of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang,Tren de Aragua. This unprecedented use of a wartime law in peacetime was a key component of Project 2025's vision for national security.
The administration has also targeted social policies, particularly those affecting the LGBTQ+ community. Project 2025's agenda includes promoting a "biblically based" definition of family, effectively marginalizing LGBTQ+ couples. Recent actions suggest a concerted effort to divert federal resources toward this narrow interpretation, threatening the rights and recognition of diverse family structures.
Furthermore, the administration's "America First" priorities have led to significant shifts in foreign aid and domestic policies. The U.S. Agency for International Development has seen an 83 prercent reduction in its programs, reflecting a retreat from global engagement and support. Domestically, proposals to cut Social Security and other federal benefit programs have emerged, aligning with Project 2025's objective to reduce government involvement in social welfare.
There’s so much more, but by now you get the point as to why Dans is happy “beyond his wildest dreams.” And here’s the kicker, his “dream” has only just begun. Remember, Project 2025 is over 900 pages, so theoretically speaking, Trump has only executed the first chapter.
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