On August 12th 2024, Donald Trump‘s campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a podcast host that “the media likes to talk about Project 2025, which has nothing to do with our campaign.”
Couple problems with that assertion: their vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance wrote the foreword for Kevin Roberts’ book inspired by the same “mission,” and Leavitt herself starred in Project 2025’s training videos.
Leavitt’s final word to trainees in the video was “Best of luck, and if you need us as a resource, we are here to help.”
Regurgitating lies and spin from Trump is a familiar pastime for national media (like the proverbial “presidential” “pivot”) but no amount of denials or deflection can erase neon-bright lines connecting them to Project 2025 and Heritage Foundation more broadly.
In addition to appearing in Project 2025’s training videos, Leavitt is a reliable defender of Trump’s Big Lie; served under noted liar Kayleigh McEnany; and lost her bid for a House seat in New Hampshire. More recently, Leavitt had to be shooed off the CNN set after pushing nonsense about anchor Jake Tapper.
SOURCES
- Media Matters
- DCCC.org
- Louder with Crowder (via Media Matters)
- Newsweek
