Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation and architect of Project 2025, raised the specter of violence against those who refuse to capitulate to what he described as “the second American Revolution” led by presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. In an appearance on “Real America’s Voice,” Roberts warned that the coming “revolution” will “remain bloodless if the left allows it to be,” signaling a potential threat to those opposing the far-right’s efforts to seize power.
Project 2025, a comprehensive 922-page document, outlines a detailed blueprint for advancing a far-right agenda, including purging career federal civil servants and centralizing power in the executive branch. The Heritage Foundation, a powerful right-wing think tank, has been instrumental in crafting this plan, which aims to institutionalize Trumpism in preparation for a possible victory in the 2024 presidential election.
“We are going to win. We’re in the process of taking this country back,” declared Roberts. His remarks come amid heightened concerns about the potential for violence surrounding the 2024 presidential election, particularly in light of Trump’s statements in April that the likelihood of violence depends on the “fairness” of the contest and its outcome.
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision granting expanded powers to the presidency has been hailed by Roberts as “vital” to the success of Project 2025. Analysts and critics have described the decision as bestowing king-like powers on the president, which Trump is already planning to exploit. The blueprint of Project 2025 has drawn comparisons to Viktor Orban’s takeover of the Hungarian government, with Princeton University professor Kim Lane Scheppele calling it “a blueprint for autocracy.”
“If it is carried out, Project 2025 will concentrate huge power in the hands of the president, giving him the power to control the whole federal government at his whim,” Scheppele added. This assessment is echoed by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, which warns that the project is dedicated to aggrandizing executive power and views opposition as a threat to the “real” community, a key aspect of quashing dissent.
The analysis from the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism states, “Project 2025 paints progressives and liberals as outside acceptable politics, and not just ideological opponents, but inherently anti-American and ‘replacing American values.’ Targeting vulnerable communities is a core tenet of Project 2025. Project 2025 is very clearly on a path to Christian nationalism as well as authoritarianism.”
Project 2025’s detailed plan includes purging career federal employees and installing loyalists, a move that would centralize power and undermine the independence of the civil service. This has raised alarms about the potential erosion of democratic norms and the establishment of an authoritarian regime.
Public reactions to Roberts’ remarks and Project 2025 have been swift and condemnatory. Advocacy groups, political figures, and concerned citizens have voiced their opposition, warning of the dangers posed by such a radical transformation of the government. Progressive leaders have called for increased vigilance and resistance to authoritarianism, emphasizing the need to protect democratic institutions and uphold the rule of law.
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