Acache of previously undisclosed training videos produced for Project 2025, a controversial initiative to prepare right-wing political appointees for a potential conservative presidential administration, has come to light, raising alarm among government watchdogs and Democratic groups.
The revelation comes amid increasing efforts by former President Donald Trump to distance himself from the project and recent leadership changes at The Heritage Foundation, which spearheads Project 2025.
The videos, totaling over 14 hours of content across 23 separate recordings, were obtained by ProPublica on Saturday and documented from an individual with access to the materials. They offer an unprecedented look into the preparations being made by conservative groups to rapidly implement far-reaching policy changes should a Republican candidate win in this year’s election.
“Want to know what’s in PROJECT 2025’s never-before-published training videos to make future Trump appointees ‘ready on Day One’? We got ’em. 23 different videos. 14 hours of tape,” ProPublica reporter Andy Kroll wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday morning.
Project 2025 has faced intensifying scrutiny in recent weeks following the resignation of its director Paul Dans and attempts by Trump to disavow any connection to the initiative.
In a previous statement to Newsweek, Trump’s campaign expressed that they would “greatly welcome” reports of Project 2025’s demise, emphasizing that the project has nothing to do with the campaign and should not be associated with the former president in any way.
Newsweek contacted Trump’s campaign via email on Sunday for additional comment.
Despite these public distancing efforts, the newly revealed videos suggest that preparations to train a cadre of conservative political appointees remain underway. The recordings coach potential appointees on a wide range of topics, from basic governance procedures to more controversial strategies for advancing conservative policies and battling perceived resistance from career civil servants.
Climate Change Skepticism and Policy Rollbacks
In one video, Bethany Kozma, a former Trump administration official, downplays the severity of climate change and characterizes efforts to combat it as a means of population control. The same video features Katie Sullivan, who served as an acting assistant attorney general under Trump, calling for the elimination of gender adviser positions created by the Biden administration across federal agencies.
These statements align with broader policy goals outlined in Project 2025’s extensive “Mandate for Leadership” document, which proposes sweeping changes such as eliminating the Department of Education, cutting Medicaid, and making it easier to fire and replace career civil servants.
Trump Administration Alumni Feature Prominently
Despite Trump’s recent attempts to create distance between himself and Project 2025, the training videos heavily feature individuals with ties to his administration.
Of the 36 speakers appearing in the recordings, 29 have worked for Trump in some capacity – either on his transition team, in his administration, or on his current reelection campaign.
Lessons Learned and Strategies Shared
Many speakers in the videos acknowledge stumbles during the early days of the Trump administration, particularly regarding staffing and the inexperience of some political appointees. They frame Project 2025’s efforts as crucial preparation to avoid similar pitfalls in a future conservative administration.
Rick Dearborn, who helped lead Trump’s 2016 transition team, emphasizes the importance of having a database of potential appointees ready, reportedly calling it “a luxury that we didn’t have” during the previous transition.
Some of the advice offered in the videos appears to diverge from traditional conservative positions. David Burton, an economic policy expert at The Heritage Foundation, advocates for expanding staffing at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to better scrutinize and potentially limit regulations from other federal agencies.
Navigating a Perceived Hostile Environment
A recurring theme throughout the videos is the notion that conservative appointees should expect to face hostility within the federal government and from mainstream media outlets. Speakers frequently characterize Washington, D.C., as an environment hostile to conservative values and warn of potential persecution.
To counter this perceived hostility, speakers offer various strategies. These include empowering political staff over career civil servants, scrubbing personal social media accounts of potentially controversial content, and focusing media engagement efforts on conservative outlets rather than mainstream news organizations.
Public Opinion and Project Future
According to a Navigator Research poll, Project 2025 has proven to be extremely unpopular with voters, with only 11 percent of those surveyed viewing it favorably.
Following Dans’ resignation, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts will now lead Project 2025’s efforts. Roberts reportedly stated that the project had accomplished its goals of bringing together conservative organizations to create a unified vision. He noted that the project was set to conclude its policy drafting after the two-party conventions this year, in line with the original timeline established in April 2022.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the emergence of these Project 2025 training videos is likely to intensify debate over the potential policy directions and governance approaches of a future Republican administration. While supporters argue the initiative represents necessary preparation, critics view it as a blueprint for radical changes to federal government operations and policies.
The Heritage Foundation and most individuals featured in the videos reportedly did not respond to requests for comment by ProPublica on this story. Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign who appears in one of the videos, stated that Agenda 47 is the only official policy agenda from the campaign.
