The Project 2025 Lie: Trump's Silent Coup in plain sight

During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump tried to distance himself from Project 2025.

A 900-page plan created by the Heritage Foundation and other far-right thinkers, a total reshaping of the federal government. When I asked about it, Trump claimed he had "nothing to do with Project 2025,” calling parts of it “ ridiculous and abysmal.“ He said he didn't even know what it was.

That was a lie. Because shortly after stepping back into power, trump again quietly stacking his administration with the very architects of the plan, he claimed to reject. He appointed Russell Vought, a chief author of Project 2025, to again lead the Office of Management and Budget. His think tank ( Center for Renewing America) is part of the group behind the project.

Then there’s John McEntee- if you watched the first Trump term, you know he was the loyalty enforcer. Now? He’s back. And surprise: he was a key player in Project 2025 too, shocker! He is currently “helping” create loyalty tests for government workers. That’s right- if you want to serve the public then you’ve got to prove your devotion to Trump, not the country.

This isn’t conspiracy this i all happening in plain sight.

Project 2025 is all about the unitary executive theory. The idea is that the president should basically run the entire federal government like a CEO, with no interference from Congress, no independent agencies, and no messy” checks and balances”. They want to gut the Department of Education, wipe out diversity programs, prioritize the DOJ, and staff every federal agency with diehard loyalists.

The playbook is there. They’re just hoping no one reads it.

This is bigger than politics. This is about control. Not just the government, but corporate control, too. Actions and fiery rhetoric what you see is a blueprint that massively benefits the richest companies in America. First, let's talk about deregulation, project 2025 calls for dismantling or severely weakening she's like the EPA, OSHA, and FDA. These institutions exist to protect the public from pollution, labor, abuse, and unsafe products. If these watchdogs are muzzled, corporations, get a free pass to cut corners, roll back safety standards, and boost their bottom line without worrying about accountability. Big Pharma faces fewer checks. Big oil can drill more. Big food gets to do whatever it wants. It's a regulatory Wild West – and the CEOs are the Cowboys.

Then there's the money. The tax system would slash corporate taxes while shrinking public services. It's a classic trickle down grift: workers get austerity, potholes, and underfunded schools, while executives collect record bonuses. Add in the plans, anti-union stands, and the picture gets even clearer. That we can labor protections, and make it harder for workers to organize or strike. No unions? No resistance. That means more power for employers to dictate wages, hours, and conditions – completely unchecked.

But the grift doesn't stop there. Project 2025 always champions, widespread privatization of healthcare to infrastructure and even corrections. That means charter school, conglomerates, private, healthcare, giants, and defense contractors stand to make billions by replacing public systems with profit-driven alternatives. Public your kid’s education, your medicine, your drinking water – all up for sale to the highest bidder. And the best part for these corporations? They get to do all this in the shadows. By reducing oversight and transparency, Project 2025 gives big businesses more political influence without the PR blowback. Raw power. It's like Citizens United on steroids.

So while the media debate executive overreach and Pardison politics, don't lose sight of what is happening: a full-scale corporate takeover disguised as a government reform plan. Project 2025 it's about who profits. And spoiler alert: it's not us.

If you are asking yourself “What companies are benefiting and donating?” here are a few ( Download Full PDF list below):

1. The Koch Network

Charles Koch and his network have funneled millions into Project 2025-aligned groups. His Stand Together Trust donated over $3.8 million to the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a key player in the project. Koch-linked nonprofits also contributed $845,000 to the Heritage Foundation since 2020. TPPF’s former CEO, Brooke Rollins, served in the Trump administration and helped shape domestic policy strategies.

2. The Uihlein Family (Uline)

Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, owners of the shipping supply company Uline, have donated at least $13 million to Project 2025-affiliated organizations since 2020. Their largest grants went to the Foundation for Government Accountability ($6.6 million) and the American Cornerstone Institute ($2.5 million), both advocating for limited government and opposing climate initiatives.

3. The Scaife Family (Mellon Oil & Banking Fortune)

The Scaife family’s foundations have contributed at least $21.5 million to Project 2025 groups since 2020. Notably, they gave $4.1 million to the Heritage Foundation and supported 22 other advisory groups within the project. Their funding extends to organizations promoting conservative agendas on college campuses and opposing government regulation.

4. Barre Seid (Tripp Lite)

Industrialist Barre Seid donated 100% of his company, Tripp Lite, to the Marble Freedom Trust, controlled by conservative activist Leonard Leo. The trust sold the shares for $1.65 billion, channeling funds into Project 2025-aligned groups. The Concord Fund, linked to Leo, received $100 million, with $22.4 million distributed to eight Project 2025 organizations.

5. Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Silicon Valley Allies

Tech billionaires like Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, David Sacks, Marc Andreessen, and Ben Horowitz have shown support for Trump and Project 2025. The plan’s proposals to dismantle regulatory bodies like the FTC and NLRB align with their interests in reducing oversight of AI, crypto, and labor practices. Thiel’s venture capital firm, Founders Fund, invested $200 million in crypto ventures, benefiting from the project’s deregulatory stance.

6. Shell Oil

A foundation associated with Shell Oil donated over $500,000 to conservative and religious right organizations on Project 2025’s advisory board, including the Heartland Institute and the American Family Association. These groups are known for climate change denial and opposing LGBTQ+ rights, aligning with Shell’s fossil fuel interests.

7. Walmart and ExxonMobil

Foundations connected to Walmart and ExxonMobil have contributed to the Heritage Foundation, the primary organization behind Project 2025. These donations support the project’s goals of reducing environmental regulations and promoting conservative economic policies.

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