Trump’s Project 2025 Could Harm Working Class Through Radical Policy Changes

Feb. 1, 2025, 5:59 am ET

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  • Trump’s second term could jeopardy the working class with severe policy changes.
  • Project 2025 aims to consolidate presidential power and impose a radical agenda.
  • This plan favors super donors and wealthy interests over the working class.

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Quick Brief

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Essential Context

Donald Trump’s potential second term is marked by his “Project 2025,” a comprehensive plan to reshape the federal government and implement radical policies. This project raises concerns about its impact on the working class and its benefits for wealthy donors and special interests.

Core Players

  • Donald Trump – Former president, 2024 Republican frontrunner
  • MAGA Republicans – Supporters and allies of Trump’s agenda
  • Super Donors – Wealthy individuals and organizations backing Trump’s campaign
  • The Heritage Foundation – Conservative think tank involved in Project 2025

Key Numbers

  • 920 pages – Length of the “Mandate for Leadership” manifesto outlining Project 2025
  • $11 billion – Proposed cuts to the Department of Education
  • 72,000 – Teachers who could lose their jobs due to Title I cuts
  • 5.5 million – English learners affected by eliminating English Language Acquisition programs

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The Catalyst

Project 2025, unveiled in April 2023, is a blueprint for Trump and MAGA Republicans to significantly alter the federal government and its policies. This plan is designed to consolidate power, purge the civil service, and impose a radical agenda that benefits wealthy donors and special interests.

This initiative has sparked widespread concern among various stakeholders, including civil servants, educators, and healthcare providers.

Inside Forces

Project 2025 consists of four key pillars: the Project 2025 Blueprint, a personnel database for MAGA loyalists, an Administration Academy to train these loyalists, and a First 180 Days Playbook for immediate executive actions. These components are aimed at dismantling existing government structures and replacing them with politically aligned operatives.

The plan also includes drastic cuts to critical programs such as education, healthcare, and job training, which would disproportionately affect the working class.

Power Dynamics

The project seeks to gut checks and balances by purging the civil service, firing independent agency leaders, and conditioning federal funding on political fealty. It also aims to politicize law enforcement by giving the president control over the Department of Justice and the FBI.

This concentration of power would allow Trump to implement his agenda without significant opposition, benefiting his super donors at the expense of the working class.

Outside Impact

The broader implications of Project 2025 are alarming. It proposes eliminating critical agencies like the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security, and making significant cuts to programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Environmental and climate change regulations would also be rolled back to favor fossil fuels.

Additionally, the project advocates for criminalizing abortion nationwide, removing legal protections for LGBTQI+ individuals, and prosecuting those involved in sending or receiving contraceptives and abortion pills.

Future Forces

If implemented, Project 2025 would lead to a profound shift in the U.S. political landscape. The working class would likely face severe economic and social hardships due to the elimination of vital programs and the erosion of civil services.

Key areas to watch include the fate of social security, the impact on public education, and the changes in labor laws and regulations.

Data Points

  • April 2023: Project 2025 unveiled by The Heritage Foundation
  • $4.7 billion: Proposed cuts to Title I education funding
  • 50+: Anti-equality and anti-LGBTQI+ policy provisions included in the plan
  • 2024: Potential second term for Trump if re-elected

The implementation of Project 2025 would mark a significant departure from current governance practices, prioritizing the interests of wealthy donors and special interests over those of the working class. As the 2024 elections approach, it remains to be seen how these policies will impact the political and social landscape of the United States.