Special Poll
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Republican vice presidential nominee, wrote the foreword for an upcoming book by the architect of Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for the next Republican administration.
- Former President Trump, who chose Vance as his running mate, has tried to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation-backed plan after Democrats used it to mobilize voters.
- Vance praises the book in publishing materials for Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts’ upcoming book, “Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America.”
- Vance uses incendiary language, saying it’s time to “circle the wagons and load the muskets,” indicating these ideas are essential for future conservative fights.
- The Heritage Foundation and Project 2025 are mentioned at the start of the book’s description, which claims “America is on the brink of destruction.”
- The book identifies institutions conservatives need to build, take back, or dissolve, including Ivy League colleges, the FBI, the New York Times, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Department of Education, BlackRock, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Endowment for Democracy.
- Vance’s spokesperson, William Martin, stated the foreword has nothing to do with Project 2025, and Vance has no involvement with it.
- Martin emphasized that only President Trump sets the Trump policy agenda.
- The Trump campaign did not comment on whether Vance’s foreword endorses the plan or Roberts.
- The Heritage Foundation supported the book, stating, “The Swamp is long overdue for a controlled burn.”
- Trump disavowed Project 2025, calling some points fine but others ridiculous, and stated he has never seen the document.
- Project 2025 proposes major changes to the federal government, reproductive health care, and American life, aiming to concentrate presidential control over the executive branch.
- A key part of the plan, “Schedule F,” would allow the president to fire thousands of federal employees and replace them with ideological loyalists.
- The plan also suggests expansive changes to the social safety net, which would reshape daily life for millions of Americans.
- The plan wasn’t made specifically for Trump, but over 140 former Trump officials worked on it.
Some Republicans have expressed regret over Trump’s choice of Vance as his running mate, with one calling Vance “wasn’t the safe pick.”