Project 2025 checklist - how Donald Trump masterplan is edging dictator conspiracy to reality

Project 2025 issued a hefty 922-page policy guidebook as a blueprint for what it hoped President Donald Trump would achieve in power and included four main policy aims

Donald Trump is edging closer to the controversial Project 2025 plan he so desperately tried to distance himself from - as the architect admitted his actions are proving "beyond my wildest dreams". The hard-right Heritage Foundation, a prominent Washington think-tank, has been producing policy plans for more than 40 years. The group issued a hefty 922-page policy guidebook as a blueprint for what they hoped a second Trump presidency would achieve.

More than 100 conservative organisations penned chapters for the project which set out four main policy aims, including: dismantle the administrative state; defend the nation's sovereignty and borders; secure God-given individual rights to live freely, and restore the family as the main centrepiece of American life. Trump had tried to distance himself from the project during his 2024 presidential campaign, claiming he had never read the document. The document was criticised for wanting to ban abortion, make huge cuts to federal government, and axe funding for climate and science.

"I know nothing about Project 2025," he posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. "I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal."

Despite calling some of the arguments "abysmal", Trump appointed key contributors from the project into his government, including CIA director John Ratcliffe; Brendan Carr, chosen to oversee the Federal Communications Commission; Tom Homan, Trump's "border czar"; Paul Atkins, nominated to head the Securities and Exchange Commission; and trade advisor Peter Navarro. Paul Dans, who was director of Project 2025 until he stepped down, admitted this week Trump's actions in power are proving "beyond my wildest dreams."

How has Trump and Project 2025 fared so far?

Defunding climate science - ✅

Page 60 of the Project 2025 blueprint states: “The Biden [Trump’s predecessor] Administration’s climate fanaticism will need a whole-of-government unwinding."

One of Trump's campaign slogans was: "Drill baby, drill." His government started the process of withdrawing the US from the 2015 Paris Climate agreement, which commits dozens of countries to cutting their greenhouse-gas emissions. The project also called for federal government to be slashed for research and investment in renewable energy. Futhermore, the US Proection Agency has come up with a plan to reduce the number of regulations on fossil fuels that protect against pollution as it wanted to "stop the war on oil and natural gas."

Cutting university funds -

On page 355, it says: “Congress should cap the indirect cost rate paid to universities.”

On February 7, Trump issued a notice that he would cut the indirect cost rate paid to universities to 15%. This includes things such as equipment maintenance and electricity. Although this would have saved billions from universities, it did not have the approval of Congress. The policy has been halted.

Project 2025 also wanted greater school choice including subsidising religious and private schools with public funds. Trump signed an executive order in his first few days in office. The project also called for the Department of Education to be abolished, something that Trump has indicated he agrees with.

Slashing government - ✅

“Permanent and substantive reductions in the number of nondefense federal employees”, page 78 states.

One of the authors of the chapters is Russell Vought, a self-described Christian nationalist, and he is now director of the US Office of Management and Budget (which is £5.44tn) and has ordered mass "reductions".

NASA closed its offices, alongside the Office of the Chief Scientist, and more than 20 workers were sacked. The National Insitute of Health will cut 1,200 people, which accounts to around 6% of its saff. Billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the US Department of Government Efficiency, has already fired workers across different departments and agencies and cut-off funding, which was approved by Congress.

Professor of International Politics at City St George’s, University of London, Inderjeet Parmar, believes Trump and Project 2025 are "aligned" over their views on slashing government. He told The Mirror: "Trump and Project 2025 are aligned over Immigration and border security, corporate deregulation, opposition to climate change, redefining federal civil servants as political appointees.

"And therefore trying to remove all those who might hinder the Trump programme, opposition to DEI policies, gutting the Education department, cutting foreign aid and leaving WHO, and tax cuts for the affluent and cuts in social spending for working people."

Immigration - ✅

“Eliminate or significantly reduce the number of visas issued to foreign students from enemy nations.” page 141 says; “Restart the China Initiative.” page 556.

Trump has based a lot of his policy around national security and immigration, especially during his first term. In 2017, the 'Muslim ban' prevented people from seven countries entering the US. Now in office for a second term, Trump signed executive orders on having "enhanced vetting" of Visas. Although this has not been followed through on the project's recommendations, Republicans expect a return of the China Initiative, which would ban students from China coming to the US.

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs -

DEI must be deleted from “every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists” pages 4-5.

One of Trump's first actions as president was to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He declared that government departments would recognise only two genders.

Project 2025 took issue with DEI and wanted a wide crackdown on "woke" ideology which included banning federal funding of “critical race theory training.”

Trade -

Project 2025 had two visions on tariffs, which suggested increasing free trade or taking a pro-tariff position. Trump chose the tariff option and has announced import taxes targeting China, Mexico, and Canada. And with a so-called "Liberation Day" today, global trade markets are fearing a global trade war - much to the delight of large portions of Project 2025, who also suggested slashing corporate and income taxes, something which Trump is contemplating.

Inderjeet Parmar believes Project 2025 is designed to "reshape America." He told The Mirror: "Project 2025 is a programme to reshape the American state into a Trump-centred authoritarian dictatorship, whose principal role will be to deregulate corporations, ramp up the coercive power of the state, cut social security and healthcare programmes, and build an even larger war-ready military for global expansion.

"The threats to Greenland, Canada, Mexico, Panama – to take them by force if necessary – should be taken seriously, although they are not mentioned in Project2025."

Abortion - ❌

“The Dobbs decision [overturning Roe v Wade] is just the beginning,” Project 2025 reads. “Conservatives in the states and in Washington, including in the next conservative administration, should push as hard as possible to protect the unborn in every jurisdiction in America.”

Project 2025 has pushed for excluding the morning-after pill and men's contraceptives from coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Anti-abortion groups and allies of Trump want to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, but Trump was "very unlikely" to do this. However, he has restricted federal funding for abortions domestically and abroad, something which Project 2025 wanted.

"Areas like abortion policy and mass deportations are areas of disagreement between Trump and Heritage’s document", Professor Parmar concluded.