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Conservatives preparing for another Donald Trump presidency have launched an organized effort to make the most of his second term if he wins 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 faced obstacles during his first term, with defections within his ranks and Republican leaders working against him on policy issues despite controlling Congress. The Executive Branch also launched investigations, including the special counsel probe into alleged ‘Russian collusion’ approved by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Additionally, Trump’s early months in office were chaotic and disorganized because his victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was unexpected.
“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.”
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.
