OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Conservatives who are busy preparing for another Donald Trump presidency have launched a highly focused, unprecedented, and organized effort so that he can make the most of his second term should he win in November.
According to The Center Square, “the movement, named Project 2025, announced this week it had the backing of 100 conservative groups, including the most established and well-funded institutions inside Washington, D.C.”
There are four areas of focus for the project, per the outlet:
- A database of conservatives and Trump loyalists to quickly stock the executive branch.
- Preemptive training for those appointees so they can immediately take action once they take office.
- An aggressive policy agenda to begin implementing on day one.
- A 180-day playbook for Trump’s second term.
Trump was hampered during his first term for at least the first couple of years thanks to defections within his ranks, recalcitrant Republican leaders who wound up working against him on many policy issues despite being in complete control of Congress, and a series of investigations launched by agencies of the Executive Branch including the special counsel probe into alleged ‘Russian collusion’ that then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions approved.
Also, Trump’s first months and years in office were chaotic and disorganized because few expected him to beat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the outlet reported.
“This is a historic moment for the conservative movement,” Paul Dans, director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, said in a statement, per The Center Square. “From the time we launched this project, we knew conservatives needed to put aside differences and come together if we are to succeed in restoring our federal government to one ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people.’ And reaching 100 members on our advisory board is monumental.”
The Center Square adds:
The Heritage Foundation is helping lead the effort. Notably, for his first term, Trump released a list of potential Supreme Court Justice candidates that was created with help of the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation.
Trump was able to place three justices in just one term, which has a significant impact on several major court cases, not the least of which was the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which handed the abortion issue back to the states.
Trump has vigorously campaigned against what he and other conservatives refer to as the “deep state” – the system of mid-level bureaucrats endowed with extensive authority by Congress to formulate rules, irrespective of which political party holds power, the outlet noted.
Project 2025 offers interested individuals the opportunity to proactively apply for positions in the potential Trump administration. The objective is to swiftly populate the federal government with Trump loyalists and conservatives, aiming to counterbalance the predominantly liberal contingent of employees and leaders within the federal bureaucracy, noted the report.
The movement’s leaders specifically referenced the Plum Book, a 232-page document detailing thousands of positions in the executive branch appointed by the president.
The Plum Book strategy essentially mirrors the Supreme Court playbook, extending its principles to the approximately 9,000 executive branch positions appointed by the president, The Center Square noted.
“Americans are tired of their government being used against them,” Dans said, the outlet noted.
“The administrative state is, at best, completely out of touch with the American people and, at worst, is weaponized against them. We will soon embark on a historic reform of the federal government to get it once again to work for the American people. With our 100-member strong coalition, we have the momentum as we begin this critical year,” the outlet noted.
The 180-day playbook comprises a “transition plan” for each federal agency to be executed promptly upon Trump’s assumption of office. The Project 2025 policy agenda, although not obligatory for Trump, encompasses an intricately outlined set of reforms for numerous agencies, including those unfamiliar to most Americans.
