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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Project summary
David A. Graham
How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America
23 mins
Brief summary
The Project by David A. Graham delves into the intricacies of investigative journalism. It reveals the persistent determination needed to uncover hidden truths, highlighting the societal and ethical impact of dedicated journalistic efforts.
Table of Contents
The Project
Summary of 6 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 6
A government built to undo democracy’s guardrails
Project 2025 is more than a list of proposals; it’s a detailed effort to reshape the executive branch before a president even takes office. Its organizers began early, compiling a list of vetted staff, drafting executive orders, and creating a confidential six-month playbook to guide the administration from the start. While past transitions have drawn on outside advice, this one was designed to embed a functioning structure well in advance.
The idea of a policy guide for an incoming administration isn’t new. In 1980, the Heritage Foundation published Mandate for Leadership, a document that helped shape Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Heritage claimed that 60 percent of its recommendations were adopted during Reagan’s first year. But the foundation’s influence faded in the following decades. In 2021, Kevin Roberts became president of Heritage and moved quickly to rebuild its stature, launching Project 2025. He appointed Paul Dans to lead it and directed him to involve a broad range of right-wing organizations, transforming Heritage into a hub for the entire MAGA movement.
Dans, a lawyer with top academic credentials and strong loyalty to Trump, had worked in housing policy and the White House personnel office. He grew frustrated with civil servants and political appointees he believed lacked dedication. He helped identify 10,000 potential hires and created training programs like “Conservative Governance 101.” His aim wasn’t simply to improve recruitment – he wanted to replace long-term officials entirely and admitted he hoped pressure would drive many of them out.
Russell Vought, who led the Office of Management and Budget under Trump in his first term, gave the project its ideological direction. A longtime Republican operative with firm Christian nationalist beliefs, he argues that America’s institutions have abandoned their constitutional foundations. He supports expanding executive authority and restoring the practice of impoundment – refusing to spend funds approved by Congress – even if that means challenging existing laws.
In his view, the Office of Management and Budget should oversee not just the budget but also agency staffing and compliance. Project 2025 proposes reactivating “Schedule F,” which would allow the president to dismiss civil servants in policy-related positions and fill those roles with political loyalists.
The Department of Justice would also be reshaped. Protections that separate it from the White House would be removed, including limits on political communication and the FBI director’s fixed term. These changes would give the administration more direct control over law enforcement.
The plan reshapes government in ways that weaken democratic checks without suspending elections outright. By concentrating power in the executive, undermining institutional guardrails, and politicizing federal agencies, it builds a structure that can run with minimal accountability. Trump once told a Christian group, “In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.” Project 2025 offers a blueprint for making that vision a reality – expanding executive power to such a degree that voting loses its practical significance. The underlying machinery is built to advance its agenda regardless of who sits at the top.
Now let’s turn to key policy areas covered by Project 2025.
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What is The Project about?
The Project (2025) is a concise, accessible guide to Project 2025 – the sweeping conservative policy agenda now being implemented by the second Trump administration. It unpacks how the plan aims to reshape the executive branch and American society, from enforcing strict gender norms to dismantling worker protections and civil service safeguards.
Who should read The Project?
- Government professionals tracking efforts to restructure federal power
- Journalists and political analysts covering conservative governance and MAGA policy
- Researchers studying executive overreach, right-wing populism, and democratic erosion
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