Trump’s agenda largely aligns with Project 2025 despite protests
TL/DR –
Donald Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page blueprint for a hard-right turn in American government and society, yet shares similarities with it in areas such as economics, immigration, and education policy. Trump’s 2024 campaign and Project 2025 share some ideas but also differ, for instance, Trump’s tax policies lean towards corporations and wealthier Americans, while Project 2025 proposes two federal income tax rates and eliminating most deductions and credits. Both propose a reduction in federal regulations, but Project 2025 takes it a step further with calls to slash regulations, make federal employees easier to fire, and reduce “unaccountable federal spending”.
Donald Trump and Project 2025
Despite insisting that Project 2025, a comprehensive blueprint for a rightward shift in American government, does not reflect his priorities for a potential White House return, Donald Trump shares many common ideologies and ideas with the project. From economics, immigration, and education policy to civil rights and foreign affairs, there are striking similarities between the Project and Trump’s roadmap for a second term, including his official “Agenda 47” slate and his other public statements.
Trump vs Project 2025
Both Trump and Project 2025 propose broad tax policies favoring corporations and the wealthier class, including cutting the corporate tax rate to 15% and ending levies financing climate change-combatting measures. However, Trump places more emphasis on plans to aid working- and middle-class Americans, such as exempting earned tips and Social Security payments from income taxes. On the other hand, Project 2025 proposes a nearly flat federal tax that could increase the tax burden for poorer and middle-class Americans, and requires a two-thirds vote in Congress to raise future taxes.
Immigration Policies
Trump’s proposed immigration policies include creating a large-scale deportation program, enlisting the National Guard and police, implementing ideological screening, and ending birthright citizenship. Parallelly, Project 2025 offers a series of detailed immigration proposals, including reducing the number of refugees, work visa recipients, and asylum seekers, and reinstating all Trump-era immigration rules.
Regulatory Reforms
Trump proposes drastic regulatory cuts aiming to reduce household utility bills and boost housing stock. In contrast, Project 2025 calls on the President and Cabinet to slash regulations and reclassify federal employees, making it easier to fire them and reduce unaccountable federal spending.
Civil Rights & Education
Trump intends to end government diversity programs and curtail existing protections for LGBTQ individuals. Similarly, Project 2025 seeks to limit civil rights enforcement to litigation, concentrating the enforcement power in the hands of the attorney general and, by extension, the White House. Both Trump and Project 2025 propose the elimination of the Department of Education, with Trump seeking to leverage federal funds to scrap diversity programs and impose merit pay for teachers, while Project 2025 advocates returning control of education to the states.
Climate Change & Environment
While denying climate change, Trump proposes policies favoring fossil fuels and wishes to end incentives for electric vehicle development. Project 2025 criticizes the Biden administration’s environmental efforts and proposes limiting many environmental protection programs, including NOAA and NWS.
Foreign Affairs
Trump’s diplomatic strategy leans more towards isolationism, non-interventionism, and protectionism, with promises of military expansion and robust Pentagon spending. On the other hand, Project 2025 promotes a “tough love” approach in international relations but stresses the importance of NATO alliances and is more aggressive in its stance against China compared to Trump.
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