Majority in U.S. say Project 2025 is exactly what Trump represents
A new survey released Wednesday found that with days to go until former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to be formally nominated as the GOP presidential candidate, a majority of Americans believe the far-right Project 2025 agenda represents what Trump stands for—and shows how a victory by the Republican would endanger people across the country.
The progressive messaging firm Navigator Research conducted the survey of 1,000 registered voters from June 20-24, with the goal of learning how Democrats and rights advocates should frame Project 2025 ahead of the November election.
The group found that opponents of the right-wing project, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, may have an uphill battle to ensure American voters are aware of the policy blueprint, which calls for a nationwide abortion ban, mass deportation of immigrants, the repeal of climate safety regulations, elimination of the Department of Educations and shrinking of other agencies, and consolidation of power within the presidency.
The survey described Project 2025 as "a series of conservative policy proposals aimed at reshaping the executive branch of the federal government if a Republican is elected president in 2024," and found that 77% of respondents had heard "little" or "nothing" about the agenda.
But after hearing two one-sentence descriptions of the plan—one in support and one opposing—the respondents opposed Project 2025 by an 18-point margin, with 49% in opposition.
Sixty-three percent of Americans surveyed said the agenda represents Trump's policy priorities, even though the former president has taken pains to distance himself from Project 2025 in recent days, saying last week that he knows "nothing about" the plan and has "no idea who is behind it."
Former top Trump administration officials, including Russ Vought, who led the Office of Management and Budget, and White House personnel chief John McEntee, have helped write Project 2025.
Nearly 90% of Democrats said they believe Project 2025 reflects the top priorities of Trump, who said late last year that he plans to be a dictator only on "Day One" of his second term, should he win the election. Sixty-two percent of independents and 42% of Republicans who do not identify with the MAGA movement led by the former president said Project 2025 represents Trump's agenda.
The top concern expressed by respondents from across the political spectrum was that Project 2025 is "an unprecedented, extreme Republican plan that will fundamentally alter the American government, making Trump even more dangerous in a second term by granting him presidential powers like no president before him has ever had."
Ian Smith, director of polling and analytics for Navigator Research, said the poll reflects that Americans were "concerned by the conservative push to consolidate presidential power around Trump" even before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that presidents have "absolute immunity" for actions they take in relation to their "official" duties.
"What's behind the fears of how Project 2025 would change the presidency is what Trump would do with that power," said Smith. "As Americans learn about the extreme anti-abortion, economic, and administrative policies proposed by Project 2025, independents almost universally oppose it, and even Republicans are divided on whether they support this vision for the country."
Sixty-two percent of Americans said Project 2025 would have a negative effect on their family, including 70% of independents and nearly half of non-MAGA Republicans.
When Navigator Research outlined 19 Project 2025 policy proposals in the survey, at least three in five said each one would harm the country.
Eighty-four percent said ending overtime pay protections would hurt the country, and 82% said the same for removing healthcare protections for people with "pre-existing conditions." Nearly 80% said the country would be harmed by the Project 2025 plan to undo some of the Biden administration's key healthcare victories: allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and capping the price of insulin for seniors at $35 per month.
Navigator Research noted that Americans also view Project 2025 as a representation of what the Republican Party as a whole stands for, with 61% saying the proposed policies describe the party's priorities.
The group found that a description of Project 2025 as "an extreme Republican plan to roll back and eliminate Americans' constitutionally protected rights and freedoms" caused the greatest amount of concern among respondents.
"Project 2025 is deeply unpopular with Americans," said Navigator Research, "as education about its policies and negative messaging drive up opposition."