Democrats escalate Project 2025 offensive, suddenly resign
Trump also distances himself, saying "unrelated to me"
The director of 'Project 2025,' known as the policy manifesto of former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate in the United States, has abruptly resigned. This move came as the progressive camp, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who recently secured the Democratic presidential nomination, intensified their attacks, labeling it an 'extreme right-wing policy.' It is interpreted as an attempt to distance from Trump amid growing concerns within the Republican Party that they might lose centrist voters in the upcoming November presidential election.
According to local media such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 30th (local time), Paul Dans, the director of Project 2025 published by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, announced his resignation to staff this week.
Project 2025 is called the Trump 2.0 policy manifesto. It is a 992-page document created with the participation of over 100 conservative organizations led by the Heritage Foundation, containing hardline conservative policies in areas such as economy, trade, immigration, abortion, diplomacy, and security. Many officials from the first Trump administration participated in proposing policies. Dans himself was a key aide who served as the White House Office of Personnel Management chief during the Trump administration, leading to widespread views that Project 2025 reflected the former president's intentions.
However, the situation changed as the Democratic camp recently escalated criticism of Project 2025. Earlier, Vice President Harris criticized Project 2025 as "a full-scale attack on our children, families, and future," stating, "These extremists want to take us backward, but we will not go back."
In response, former President Trump distanced himself from Project 2025, saying it was "unrelated to me." This appears to reflect concerns that the extreme right-wing policies contained in Project 2025 could alienate centrist voters. Additionally, Vice President Harris's recent polling showing her closely trailing former President Trump is also analyzed as a reason why the Trump camp is distancing itself from Project 2025.
The WSJ reported, "After former President Trump and his aides publicly criticized Project 2025, the conservative roadmap for a Republican administration, the Heritage Foundation official leading it resigned," adding, "Former President Trump is upset that much attention is focused on Project 2025 and that it is perceived as ghostwriting his policies."
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