Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg dropped one reason Project 2025, the far-right presidential transition plan, is “wildly unpopular” on Wednesday.
“So much so that I’m pretty sure it is the first time in modern history that a presidential candidate has had to disavow his own policy framework,” Buttigieg told MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace.
Buttigieg’s comments arrive one day after The Heritage Foundation — the conservative think tank that launched Project 2025 — announced the director of the controversial plan, Paul Dans, was stepping down from his role.
Former President Donald Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025 and has claimed he knows “nothing about” it despite previously praising the “great group” behind it. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), wrote a foreword for The Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts’ upcoming book.
Wallace asked Buttigieg if the Republican nominee meant to pick Vance, a VP choice she referred to as the “human embodiment” of the 900-page policy plan.
Buttigieg, who is reportedly being considered as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, explained that the plan was “already” the GOP governing agenda before it occurred to anybody to write it down and call it Project 2025.
“It’s part of the playbook they followed when they were in charge and, therefore, it will unquestionably be their governing agenda again should he get reelected,” Buttigieg said.
He added: “The problem isn’t this thing called Project 2025, the problem is the governing agenda itself. Project 2025 is just the footnotes on what they’re planning to do, which is wildly unpopular with the American people because it’s full of crazy ideas that don’t make any sense.”
