After Donald Trump distanced himself from project 2025, a far-right plan to transform the U.S. into an authoritarian regime, Republicans are saying his efforts are “preposterous,” because the people who wrote the plan worked for him.
The project includes plans to fire 50,000 federal employees and replace them with MAGA loyalists, reduce the power of Congress, eliminate the education department, and put the independent justice department under the president’s control.
“I know nothing about Project 2025,” Trump posted on his Truth Social website. “I have no idea who is behind it. 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.”
However, most of the people who wrote the plan previously worked with him, and Republicans have said that his attempts to distance himself from the project are ridiculous.
Olivia Troye, former Homeland Security and Counterterrorism advisor to Mike Pence, said Trump knows that the project’s controversial prescriptions could sink his election bid.
“This is preposterous if you look at the collaborators and the authors of this plan,” she told CNN. “A lot of these people…served in Trump’s cabinet during his administration. There are people that I worked with. I sat in those policy meetings with them.”
According to The Guardian, of the 38 people involved in the writing of project 2025, 31 worked for Trump’s administration, meaning that 81% of them are linked to Trump.
Michael Steele, former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, echoed Troye’s reaction.
“Exactly how do you ‘disagree’ with something you ‘know nothing about’ or ‘have no idea’ who is behind, saying or doing the thing you disagree with?” He said. “And how exactly don’t you know that Project 2025 director Paul Dans served as your chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management, and associate director Spencer Chretien served as your special assistant and associate director of presidential personnel?”
Troye said the project is a threat to moderate Republicans.
“If you go through and really read through this plan, this is complete overreach by the federal government on our individual liberties,” she said.
