A chief architect of Project 2025, the controversial conservative blueprint to remake the federal government, Russell Vought is likely to be appointed to a high-ranking post in a second Trump administration.

Russell Vought sounds like a general marshaling troops for combat when he talks about taming a “woke and weaponized” federal government.

He recently described political opposition as “enemy fire that’s coming over the target,” while urging allies to be “fearless at the point of attack” and calling his policy proposals “battle plans.”

If former President Donald Trump wins a second term in November, Vought may get the opportunity to go on the offensive.

A chief architect of Project 2025 — the controversial conservative blueprint to remake the federal government — Vought is likely to be appointed to a high-ranking post in a second Trump administration. And he’s been drafting a so-far secret “180-Day Transition Playbook” to speed the plan’s implementation to avoid a repeat of the chaotic start that dogged Trump’s first term.

Among the small cadre of Trump advisers who has a mechanic’s understanding of how Washington operates, Vought has advised influential conservative lawmakers on Capitol Hill, held a top post in the Trump White House and later established his own pro-Trump think tank. Now, he’s being mentioned as a candidate to be Trump’s White House chief of staff, one of the most powerful positions in government.

…

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a New York University history professor and author of “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” criticized Project 2025 as “a recipe for mass chaos, abuses of power, and dysfunction in government.”

The overarching theme of Project 2025 is to strip down the “administrative state.” This, according to the blueprint, is the mass of unelected government officials who pursue policy agendas at odds with the president’s plans.

  • Dem BosainEnglish
    344·
    4 months ago

    There’s no way to fix this, there’s no way to win against this. Eventually one of these people will win back the presidency. The Democratic Party isn’t willing to do what matters to prevent this, and will just allow themselves to be forced further and further right, hoping to steal votes and donors from Republicans.

    • brianary@startrek.website
      36·
      4 months ago

      They’ve put all their eggs in the Trump basket, with no clear line of succession. Once he is humiliated again this year, the fever will break for some, and the rest will splinter into infighting. This was their last clear path, which is why they are forcing through everything they are able while they can.

    • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
      5·
      4 months ago

      Yeah the fascists can win even if they loose the votes by consistently whittling away at democracy. And they’ve already done a lot. The US needs some kind of reformation. But not just for the government, for the news and social media as well since that drives the whole constant shitshow and “loss of shared reality”.

    • venusaur@lemmy.world
      422·
      4 months ago

      The Democratic strategy is all based on fear. They won’t do anything to stop what’s getting them votes.