Project 2025, Suddenly Everywhere, Explained

07/11/24 • 41 min

4 Listeners

President Biden is telling people to Google it. Former president Donald J. Trump is distancing himself from it. Even the actress Taraji P. Henson talked about it onstage at the B.E.T. Awards.

Project 2025. It’s a blueprint for an incoming conservative president — presumably Donald Trump — spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

And now it is everywhere in this tumultuous moment of the 2024 presidential race.

But what is it? Is it a guide to a possible second Trump administration? And why are Democrats seizing on it now, as Mr. Biden struggles to quiet doubts about his ability to defeat Mr. Trump? This week, we’re working through those questions.

On today’s episode

Jonathan Swan, who covers politics and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign for The New York Times.

Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California.

President Biden is telling people to Google it. Former president Donald J. Trump is distancing himself from it. Even the actress Taraji P. Henson talked about it onstage at the B.E.T. Awards.

Project 2025. It’s a blueprint for an incoming conservative president — presumably Donald Trump — spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

And now it is everywhere in this tumultuous moment of the 2024 presidential race.

On today’s episode

Jonathan Swan, who covers politics and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign for The New York Times.

Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California.

Previous Episode

A Divided America Agrees: We Deserve Better Than This

The latest national poll from The New York Times and Siena College shows former President Donald J. Trump leading President Biden by nine percentage points among registered voters — a pretty big shift in his direction in the week since the presidential debate.

It has become clear in the past week that there is no obvious path to replacing Mr. Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee. But there is a strong desire among Americans for something different.

We heard that directly from voters we met last week in Kenosha, Wis., at a gathering of a group called Braver Angels. It’s a nonpartisan organization that finds common ground across political divisions, and it proved a perfect focus group after the debate.

We asked these deeply engaged citizens, who had chosen to spend their free time debating policy and politics, how they were feeling about their options for president in November.

Their perspective reinforced the gap that this unique political moment has exposed between voters and party leaders.

The questions are: Has Mr. Biden’s debate performance made the continuation of his campaign untenable? And what, if anything, should happen next?

Do you have a question about the 2024 election? We want to hear from you. Fill out this form or email us at [email protected]

Next Episode

‘I’m Just Really Glad That Trump’s OK’

You’ve seen the image by now: Former President Donald J. Trump has blood running down the side of his face. He’s being escorted off his rally’s stage by the Secret Service, and he pauses to look at the crowd, his fist proudly in the air.

It’s too soon to know how the attempt on his life on Saturday in Pennsylvania will affect the outcome of the race. But Trump’s allies have already made the shock of the assassination attempt, and the violence, part of a clear political message.

To hear them tell it, Trump and his party are under attack.

This sense of persecution has long been core to Trump’s message. And the events of the weekend will only amplify that.

Today, as the Republican National Convention gets underway, we’re digging into that message with the Trump supporters who most embody it. And we’re doing so from their unlikely headquarters, where they gather every evening in Washington D.C.: outside the D.C. Jail.

Do you have a question about the 2024 election? We want to hear from you. Fill out this form or email us at [email protected]