Awareness and opposition to Project 2025, a conservative policy platform spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, have grown sharply over the past month, as shown by recent polling data. This surge in public opinion comes despite former President Donald Trump’s attempts to distance himself from the agenda.
Project 2025 aims to overhaul the executive branch, consolidating power under the presidency while weakening and eradicating federal agencies. It includes controversial proposals such as removing job protections for federal employees and withdrawing mifepristone, a pill used in most U.S. abortions, from the market.
The policy agenda has been closely associated with Trump, primarily due to the involvement of at least 140 of his former administration officials in its creation. However, on July 5, Trump attempted to disassociate himself from the project, stating on Truth Social, “I know nothing about Project 2025. 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.”
Despite Trump’s claims, a poll conducted by Navigator Research between July 11 and 14 found that public awareness of Project 2025 had increased from 29% in June to 54%. The poll, which sampled 1,000 registered voters with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, also revealed a significant rise in unfavorable views, from 19 percent to 43 percent over the same period.
A closer look at the poll’s findings shows a stark division in opinions based on political affiliation. Among Democratic respondents, 71 percent were aware of Project 2025, with 64 percent holding an unfavorable view, 7 percent a favorable view, and 29 percent unsure. Independent voters were largely undecided, with 64 percent not knowing enough to form an opinion, 28 percent viewing it unfavorably, and 8 percent favorably. The Republican respondents were divided into MAGA and non-MAGA groups. Nineteen percent of MAGA Republicans had an unfavorable view, 20 percent a favorable view, and 61 percent were unsure. Meanwhile, 32 percent of non-MAGA Republicans viewed the project unfavorably, 13 percent favorably, and 55 percent were unsure.
Project 2025’s proposals have sparked considerable concern among the public. Key elements of the agenda include the weakening and elimination of federal agencies, removing job protections for thousands of federal employees, and banning mifepristone. These proposals have been met with apprehension regarding their potential impacts on government operations and individual rights.
Despite Trump’s efforts to distance himself, public perception continues to link him to Project 2025. The Navigator Research poll found that 45 percent of respondents believe Project 2025 describes Trump’s agenda, while only 16 percent disagreed and 39 percent were unsure. This perception has been bolstered by statements from prominent Democratic politicians, including Vice President Kamala Harris. Following President Joe Biden’s announcement on July 21 that he would not seek re-election and was endorsing Harris, she took direct aim at Project 2025 during her speech announcing her candidacy for the Democratic nomination.
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” Harris declared. Her statement underscores the increasing focus that Democratic leaders are placing on Project 2025 as they seek to mobilize voters against it.
The opposition to Project 2025 has also gained cultural traction, with public figures and media coverage bringing the issue to the forefront. During the BET Awards on June 30, host Taraji P. Henson urged viewers to vote and warned about the Republican agenda, saying, “Pay attention, it’s not a secret, look it up. They are attacking our most vulnerable citizens. The Project 2025 plan is not a game. Look it up!” Stephen Colbert further highlighted the agenda on “The Late Show” earlier this month.
Eric Michael Garcia of The Independent noted on social media that Project 2025 has “genuinely permeated the culture,” based on unsolicited mentions during his reporting. Journalist David Roberts emphasized the importance of making the agenda widely known: “Make this election about it. Make it famous. One of the biggest and most persistent problems in recent U.S. politics is that the right’s agenda is so malign that most disengaged voters just flat don’t believe it. Describing it sounds like partisan attack. Well, they wrote it down. All of it. Make it famous!”
COMMENTS