It’s a phrase Democrats have come to mention nearly every chance they get, from press conferences and speeches to political ads and social media posts: Project 2025.
The conservative playbook from the Heritage Foundation think tank that maps out another potential Trump presidency isn’t directly tied to the former president. Donald Trump has, for his part, denounced “some” of the expansive road map to overhaul functions of the federal government.
But for Democrats, Project 2025 has become their favorite pivot away from their own unpopular president and questions about his mental and physical ability to lead. Under pressure from his party to drop out of the race, President Joe Biden even brought up defending against Project 2025 as a reason to keep him in power.
“Do you think democracy is under siege based on Project 2025?” Biden asked rhetorically this week during his first solo press conference of the year. “Do you think he means what he says when he says he’s going to do away with the civil service, eliminate the Department of Education? … We’ve never been here before.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has a harsher assessment.
“The Trump manifesto is an autocrat’s dream,” he said in remarks on the Senate floor. “The hard Right is done speaking in euphemisms. They’re smelling blood, they’re saying it straight to our faces, ‘If you disagree with Donald Trump, watch your back.’ It’s bone-chilling, it’s un-American, it’s dangerous for our democracy.”
The campaign strategy is in step with broader messaging on the threat to democracy that Democrats say Trump poses. But Project 2025 has only recently gained widespread awareness, in part thanks to increased attention from media, including a 30-minute segment on the subject by HBO’s John Oliver, lawmakers, and Trump himself.
The 900-page framework was first introduced in April 2023 and includes bolstering executive branch power while dismantling some federal agencies, as well as vetting government employees on their loyalty before being hired.
“Project 2025, as I’m sure you know and Americans are learning each and every day, is a pernicious, dangerous point that Republicans have been very clear they intend to implement if given the opportunity,” Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO), the assistant Democratic leader in the House, said. “It will impact every aspect of American life.”
The Democratic National Committee has erected Project 2025 billboards tying Trump to the initiative in seven battleground states, urging onlookers to “Google Project 2025.”
Trump distanced himself from the conservative blueprint this month, saying he knows “nothing about Project 2025” and disagrees with some of its policies. He declined to offer specifics.
“I have no idea who is behind it,” he posted on Truth Social. “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”
Google Trends data show searches for Project 2025 peaked just days after Trump’s mention. A smaller spike occurred last month roughly a week after Oliver’s segment aired on HBO.
Neither Trump nor his campaign have direct ties, though many former officials and staffers contributed to the project.
“Agenda 47 and President Trump’s RNC Platform are the only policies endorsed by President Trump for a second term,” Danielle Alvarez, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee, said. “Team Biden and the DNC are LYING and fearmongering because they have NOTHING else to offer the American people. Remember, this is the same group that lied to Americans and hid Joe Biden’s cognitive decline all these years.”
The Democrats who likely won’t mention Project 2025 are those up for reelection in battleground races. Vulnerable members have, for the most part, focused on contentious issues voters say they care most about, such as inflation, immigration, crime, and abortion access.
There’s good reason for that, according to Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf.
“It makes sense to create a resounding pronunciation of 2025 so that it kind of seeps into these marginal districts,” Sheinkopf, who has advised the likes of former President Bill Clinton and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said. “They don’t want to hit Trump dead on if they don’t have to because if you could do that, they wouldn’t be marginal districts.”
Most voters are familiar with Project 2025 but have limited knowledge beyond name recognition.
In an NPR-PBS News-Marist poll released Friday, a plurality, 44%, said they’ve never heard of or are unsure what to think of Project 2025. That’s compared to 41% with an unfavorable opinion and 15% with a favorable view.
Perhaps a sign of Democrats’ messaging, most Trump supporters, 62%, say they’ve never heard of or are unsure about Project 2025, compared to 66% of Biden backers who have a negative opinion.
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A sizable portion is confused about Project 2025’s associations. Half say Trump, 11% say Biden, and 39%, including 54% of Republicans and 37% of independents, don’t know.
“[The election] is not about democracy. It’s about people. Voters are selfish,” Sheinkopf said. “It’s always about the things that matter most and that have the greatest emotional impact. The economy does, [abortion] choice does. The general sense of chaos that the Republicans are going to exploit, and that’s migrants and crime.”
