Donald Trump’s Project 2025 Comment Called Out by Democrats

Democrats have hit back at former President Donald Trump after he said there are parts of Project 2025 that “everybody would like.”

Project 2025 was created by the conservative Heritage Foundation as a handbook for the next Republican administration. The nearly 1,000-page handbook proposes a massive overhaul of the federal government and a plan to fire thousands of government workers so they can be replaced with Republican loyalists.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and her allies have sought to pin Trump to Project 2025’s most sweeping proposals. Trump has denied that Project 2025 is related to his campaign, even though many of his longtime allies and former Trump administration officials helped draft the handbook.

When asked about Project 2025 on Lex Fridman’s podcast, Trump again said that he knows “nothing” about it and that he “purposefully” hasn’t read it, but moments later, added that it contains some proposals that “everybody would like.”

“I know nothing about it,” Trump told Fridman. “And they know that too. Democrats know that. And I purposely haven’t read it, because I want to say to you, I have no idea what it’s all about. It’s easier, than saying I read it and all of the things. No, I purposely haven’t read it and I’ve heard about it.”

Trump went on to say that he has “heard about things that are in there that I don’t like, and there’s some things in there that everybody would like, but there are things that I don’t like at all.” He did not specify which proposals he was talking about.

He added: “I think it’s unfortunate that they put it out, but it doesn’t mean anything, because it has nothing to do with me.”

The Trump campaign has been contacted for comment via email.

The Democratic National Committee‘s rapid response director Alex Floyd issued a statement saying Trump knows Project 2025 is “dangerous” and “unpopular,” pointing to polling that showed a significant recent rise in opposition to Project 2025.

“Donald Trump’s Project 2025 platform grows more unpopular by the day—but Trump doesn’t want to name a single proposal from his extreme Project 2025 agenda because he knows it’s a dangerous and out-of-touch MAGA blueprint to take America backward,” Floyd said.

“Trump and Project 2025 poster boy JD Vance continue to be haunted by their own words and their own agenda, and Americans are ready to shred this 900+ page playbook at the ballot box in November by electing Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz.”

The Trump and Harris campaigns have been contacted for comment via email.

Harris’ campaign appeared to seek to highlight the contradiction in Trump’s comments by sharing a clip on X, formerly Twitter, and noting he said “I have no idea what it’s all about” and “there are some things in there that everybody would like.”

Other social media users agreed, with one person writing: “Trump makes no sense. He says that he has no idea what Project 2025 is about and then he says there are some things in there that everybody would like. He can no longer cover his lies.”

Another wrote: “Most of trump’s advisers are authors of project 2025. This is his idea. He likes it. I can’t believe we’re even considering him for president.”

But an account that says its purpose is to hold Harris’ campaign “accountable for misinformation on X” responded that it was a “complete misquote.”

“He literally says there are things he doesn’t like in it,” the account wrote. “Maybe one of the things he likes is their policy on lowering gas prices.”

Project 2025 has repeatedly said that it “does not speak for any candidate or campaign.

“We are a coalition of more than 110 conservative groups advocating policy and personnel recommendations for the next conservative president,” a Project 2025 spokesperson said in a statement to Newsweek.

“But it is ultimately up to that president, who we believe will be President Trump, to decide which recommendations to implement.”