Project 2025 and Donald Trump

project 25 is this thing created by crafted by the Heritage Foundation which um is a bold far-reaching conservative agendum for the next Republican and administration aiming to shape the American political and social landscape it's a Manifesto in other words that consolidates significant powers in the executive branch dismantles administrative institutions and champions traditional conservative ideals of family sovereignty and individual rights so while Donald Trump is publicly distanced himself from the document project 2025 Still Remains intertwined with individuals and groups deeply connected to his administration and this connection has sparked controversy particularly among Democrats who've used it as an attack line ahead of the Democratic National Convention um and uh what stands out beyond the ties to Trump are the Democrat uh are the documents broader implication that it reflects the Ambitions of far-right conservative movements intent on fundamentally restructuring the way the government works in the United States the desire for a viable and credible um government should therefore I think depend on a viable and credible presidential candidate one who's not and snared in the controversies or the trivial distractions about K9 digestion it's Paramount and Donald Trump does not come across as that candidate even if the latest polling suggests that he will um scrape through as the likely uh successor to Biden at the moment Kamala Harris is increasing her uh her her pressure on him and her performance in the in the debate was impressive you got to remember Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in a number of debates and then lost the election because of the electoral system the electoral college system uh that uh that functions in America this Arcane esoteric bizarre system and you know the the the whole idea about credible performance is especially vital when the stakes include politics and and policies like consolidating federal agencies under presidential control rolling back protections for federal workers making sweeping changes in Immigration climate and education policies a serious policy-driven candidate can better navigate such a complexness um politically polarizing platform and one of the most radical aspects of project 2025 is the unitary executive Theory where the president would have unchecked authority over the entire Federal bureaucracy stripping protections from civil servants and allowing for Mass firings and appointments based on political loyalty this idea not only threatens the independence of key government institutions like the Department of Justice but also raises concerns about the erosion of democratic checks and balances and the policy proposals also highlight conservative social values advocating for an ultr traditional view of family life and marriage not so different from President Putin's and attempting to curtail Progressive education and social programs this wish list seems to cater heavily to the far right base but it risks alienating moderate voters who might seek conservative fiscal policies without endorsing such drastic social reforms so a credible Republican candidate ought to find a delicate balance pushing policies that can broadly appeal to the electorate without veering into extremes that could alienate Middle Ground voters or cause irreparable harm to American institution and by uh Association give a give an example to other countries this discussion isn't just about policy but it's about credibility foresight and crucially the ability to unify a country and what we got out of the uh debate this morning particularly with hump with Trump hump uh turning up at the um at the at at the center afterwards and saying uh insisting this was the best debate that he'd ever had um well what we got was complaints about the moderators about David mure um and lindsy Davis and [Music] um it's uh and the idea that that it was a mess which Senator I think Lindsey Graham has said um the worst moderated debate in history once you start debating the the the the format of the once you start questioning the format of the debate I think you've you've essentially lost and to then go into the spin room and unack and attack the unfair moderators it's unusual and generally the candidates who go into the spin room are the candidates who have lost so I it would be very good to have another opportunity as Kamala Harris wants I believe and Donald Trump said this debate was so good he wants another so I think there's going to be another debate kamla Harris has to hit a a um a massive blow on the Trump campaign to push her her polling to a point where it's a credible win at the moment it's very it's a close call and it's a much closer call than it would have been with Biden um but she would have to work much harder and I don't know whether Simply Having a presidential debate is enough um I I don't know whether it's even enough for for for her to be um waving the flag and saying she's got a she she's got she owns a gun um the policies that she's putting forward seem certainly from somebody looking at it from the UK to be slightly more right Wing than I would have expected um but I mean her her strength is that she sounds um realistic while Trump sounds [Music] unhinged um and you know issues like issue the the big the big issues like uh the economy defense Ukraine abortion actually project 2025 I don't think calls for an outright ban on Nationwide or calls for an out right Nationwide abortion ban um but it does it does call for significantly more restraint in following the right to decide um and I think there's a um there's a there's a lot more in Project 2025 than perhaps is is coming out in the Trump campaign and and if project 25 2025 is a blueprint for the Trump campaign it seems a little worrying if it's I I if it's a um paper tiger to be knocked down by the Democrat side that is equally the question is really is what is this project 2025 and what link does it have to Trump and at the moment it doesn't seem to have a very strong link but it is there in the background and but Trump is in the foreground and Trump has taken on the mantle of a dithering character much the same sort of mantle that he was trying to cast onto the shoulders of President Biden