Several months ago, the details of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 came to light. It was written about widely; my discussion of it can be found here: If you’re not Scared yet (and even if you are), read this. Project 2025, a roadmap for a right wing and extremist takeover of the federal government if Trump is elected, is indeed frightening.
Last week, however, the New York Times disclosed the results of an investigation of a more recently formed right-wing extremist group with a plan for dramatic changes in the federal government and state governments that are even scarier. You can read the full article by clicking here.
In short, the America First Policy Institute, founded in 2020, is advising the Trump campaign and has “installed itself as the Trump campaign’s primary partner in making concrete plans to wield power.” It has already drafted nearly 300 executive orders that await Trump’s signature if he is elected. Among other things. the America First Agenda calls for:
· Mandating ultrasounds before all abortions.
· Ending all funding for Planned Parenthood, and other providers of women’s reproductive care, domestically and globally.
· Making concealed carry permits reciprocal in all 50 states.
· Expanding 2nd Amendment rights and removing restrictions on guns.
· Increasing domestic oil and gas production.
· Withdrawing from the Paris Accords on climate change.
· Imposing working requirements on all Medicaid recipients.
· Establishing only two legal genders.
· Eliminating civil service protections for nearly all federal employees by making them at-will employees and denying fired government employees the right of any external appeal.
· Empowering parents to challenge public school curricula.
· Advocating for judicial nominees who hold an “originalist constitutional philosophy.”
The organization boasts a staff of nearly 200 people and a $43 million budget. Remarkably, despite its highly partisan activities, it received 501c(3) status as a charitable organization, so that donations to it are tax deductible and it pays no income taxes. Its CEO was Trump’s former Domestic Policy Chief, its Board Chair was Trump’s Small Business Administration Chief, its Vice-Chair was Director of Trump’s National Economic Council, and many more. Watching one of its conferences challenges every assumption about the nonpartisan requirements for tax-exempt 501c(3) organizations. If you’re interested in watching yourself, click here.
There are now two right-wing, extremist playbooks, drafted and promoted by hundreds of former Trump administration staffers, awaiting his arrival at the White House on January 20, 2025. Trump, recently quoted as praising Hitler and his generals, was described by his former Chief of Staff, Four-Star General John Kelly, as a “fascist” who “certainly prefers the dictator approach to government,” and by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, the nation’s highest ranking military officer, as a “total fascist” who is “now the most dangerous person to this country.”
In the hands of a second Trump presidency, these extremist playbooks are terrifying to those of us who believe in the rule of law, respect the U.S. Constitution, and are committed to preserving our democracy. To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, please do whatever and everything you can in the next week, with everything you’ve got, wherever you are, to help ensure that Trump loses the election on November 5th.