Former President Donald Trump has publicly disassociated himself from Project 2025, a policy initiative developed by the president of a conservative think tank. In a post on Truth Social on Friday morning, Trump stated that he has no involvement with the project.
“I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them,” he wrote.
The effort was spearheaded by Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts. Many of Trump’s detractors have seized on Project 2025, utilizing it as a weapon in their criticisms. In response to President Biden’s debate performance, Democratic groups seem to be adjusting their communication strategies to focus on this policy outline as a means of launching a counteroffensive against the current presidential frontrunner.
Biden’s website supposedly provides a comprehensive explanation of his campaign’s interpretation of the project. It calls it a “920-page plan to give Trump more power over your daily life, gut democratic checks and balances, and consolidate power in the Oval Office”—much of what Biden’s administration has been doing for the past three-and-a-half years, according to his critics.
President Biden’s campaign website has raised concerns about policies that could potentially reduce reproductive rights. But Trump has consistently denied any intentions to restrict abortion access at the national level, framing it as a matter for states to decide. During the CNN debate in June, Trump explicitly expressed his support for the Supreme Court’s decision not to ban abortion pills, reinforcing his position that he does not seek to limit access to abortion at the federal level.
Representatives for Project 2025 maintain it is not a Trump-specific plan, but rather a set of recommendations for any conservative President. “As we’ve been saying for more than two years now, Project 2025 does not speak for any candidate or campaign. We are a coalition of more than 110 conservative groups advocating policy and personnel recommendations for the next conservative president. But it is ultimately up to that president, who we believe will be President Trump, to decide which recommendations to implement,” a Project 2025 spokesman told the Daily Caller.
The Biden administration, meanwhile, has received another round of backlash for making what many view as a silly and insignificant claim as an “accomplishment” over the Independence Day holiday. The White House boasted a one-cent decrease in the nation’s year-over-year gas prices on Thursday, the “lowest holiday price” since the previous Fourth of July, Fox News noted.
“‘July 4th gas prices expected to hit lowest level in 3 years,’” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The projection is from a GasBuddy estimate this week, indicating that the $3.49 average cost for gas this Independence Day represents a decline of over $1.30 compared to 2022.
“For those hitting the road to celebrate Independence Day, gas prices have seen modest recent fluctuations, but most states are seeing prices near or even well below where they were a year ago,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy said in a news release. “While the first half of the summer has been relatively smooth sailing, the road ahead may be bumpy. Activity in the tropics has increased, and projections remain for a very busy hurricane season. Even after the holiday fireworks are over, we’ll be watching for any potential fireworks at the pump that could be brought on by hurricanes disrupting refineries.”
According to a recent projection by GasBuddy, the average cost for a 10-person Independence Day cookout is now estimated at $71.22, marking a 5% increase from last year and nearly a 30% rise compared to five years ago. This update follows a report from the American Farm Bureau (AFB) detailing the rising expenses associated with holiday celebrations.
“Higher prices at the grocery store reflect a number of challenges facing America’s families. Lower availability of some cookout staples and inflation are hitting people in their wallets,” AFB chief economist Roger Cryan noted, according to Fox. “Farmers are also feeling the effects of high prices. They’re price takers, not price makers. Their share of the retail food dollar is just 15%, but they still pay elevated fuel, fertilizer and other supply prices.”
