As the government shutdown continues with no clear end in sight, President Donald Trump appears to be using the crisis to step up his support for Project 2025. The president is now publicly praising the architect of the right-wing plan to transform American government and society.

Trump publicly touts meeting with Project 2025 contributor

Trump posted on social media Tuesday, “I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.” Russell Vought, the official Trump mentioned, is one of the authors of Project 2025, a comprehensive blueprint published by the conservative Heritage Foundation that outlines plans to reduce the size of government agencies and push a right-wing political agenda under a Trump administration. Trump tied his meeting with Vought to the current government shutdown, adding, “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity.”

( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post )( Donald J. Trump – Oct 02, 2025, 7:59 AM ET )I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommend… pic.twitter.com/y8poN4Bd8x— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) October 2, 2025

After returning to the White House, Trump appointed Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Before the government shutdown began, the OMB issued directives from Trump to government agencies informing them to prepare for mass layoffs in the event of a shutdown. Now, Trump and Vought are preparing to go after entire agencies. Apparently symbolizing their plan to slash the federal government, Trump posted a strange AI-generated video featuring himself and Vice President JD Vance as a rock band and Vought as a grim reaper stalking Washington, D.C.; the footage also mocks Democrats and references the racist video of congressional Democrats that Trump posted earlier in the week during budget negotiations.

( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post )( Donald J. Trump – Oct 02, 2025, 10:39 PM ET ) pic.twitter.com/e9DAMR3u9G— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) October 3, 2025

Trump changes tune on Project 2025, pushes layoffs and budget cuts

Trump’s public embrace of Project 2025 marks a sharp departure from his 2024 presidential campaign, when he claimed not to be familiar with the plan. Democrats warned that Trump would implement Project 2025, which included plans to eliminate government agencies, replace career professionals in the government with Trump loyalists, and roll back rights or protections for women and minority groups. As a candidate, Trump at one point posted about Project 2025, “I have, and had, nothing to do with it, NEVER READ IT, NEVER SAW IT.” Once taking office, however, Trump appointed multiple Project 2025 authors to his administration, and a website tracking Trump administration policies estimated earlier this year that nearly half of the project’s goals had already been achieved.

Trump’s implementation of various Project 2025 policies has coincided with his efforts to slash federal spending and the federal workforce. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has distanced himself from the plans by Trump and Vought to make significant cuts to the federal workforce. Still, he blames Democrats for giving them the opportunity by not voting for a Republican plan to avoid a shutdown.

“This is the risk of shutting down the government and handing the keys to Russ Vought,” the Republican from South Dakota said on Wednesday. Trump, meanwhile, has used government websites to blame Democrats for the shutdown, a tactic that may violate federal law. Since the shutdown began, Trump and Vought have announced cuts or pauses to billions of dollars in federal spending to Democratic-controlled states, and indicated that federal layoffs could start within days.

The continuing shutdown is a hardship for millions of Americans who are furloughed, forced to work without pay, or deprived of services that have been shut down until the political standoff ends. For Trump and allies like Vought, however, the shutdown is an opportunity to score political points and to fast-forward implementation of Project 2025, pushing forward a radical conservative agenda across the country.
The post Trump Embraces Project 2025 During Government Shutdown, Changing His Prior Tune appeared first on Blavity.



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