'Good ideas': Trump V.P. hopeful promotes Project 2025 as ex-president claims no knowledge
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) doesn't want his party to back off of Project 2025 — in fact, he told conservative talk show host Rob Shmitt, it's a platform that has some good ideas in it.
Project 2025 is a sweeping plan conceived by the far-right Heritage Foundation, which calls for replacing the entire federal civil service with an army of MAGA loyalists, taking complete executive control of the FBI and DOJ, imposing Christian nationalism in law, and radical changes to the government including defunding or repealing federal programs ranging from Medicare and Social Security to military family benefits to grants for public transportation.
Vance, considered to be one of the likeliest shortlisters for former President Donald Trump's running mate, says this in contrast to Trump, who in recent days has scrambled to distance himself from the proposal, proclaiming some of its ideas "absolutely ridiculous and abysmal." Vance, too, hedged complete praise for the platform, but made a point to defend it at least in part.
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"This is the craziest fear tactic they're using," said Vance. "I think most Americans couldn't care less about Project 2025. I've reviewed a lot of it, there's some good ideas in there Rob, there's some things that I disagree with, but most importantly, it has no affiliation with the Trump campaign."
Recent internet traffic data appears to contradict Vance's claim that voters don't care about Project 2025, as Google searches for it this week managed to surpass searches for both Taylor Swift and the NFL.
Moreover, while Trump may not be directly affiliated with Project 2025, PACs supportive of him have been boosting it, several Trump administration officials like Ken Cuccinelli and Stephen Miller went on to advise the Heritage Foundation on writing it, and Trump himself tried to enact at least some parts of the plan before leaving office, including abolishing merit-based job protections from federal workers.