Project 2025: A Literal Climate Denier’s Playbook
The Climate Denier's Playbook
00:00
Unpacking Project 2025's Controversy
This chapter delves into the contradictions and absurdities of a leaked training video from Project 2025, contrasting historical climate change narratives with today's skepticism. It examines the political implications of climate change discourse, public reactions to a notable BET Awards mention, and the rising unpopularity of the project among voters. Furthermore, the chapter discusses the resignation of the project's director amid growing backlash, highlighting broader concerns about censorship and political missteps.
Transcript
Play full episode
Transcript
Episode notes
Have you tried turning the EPA off and on again?
Register to vote (or check to make sure you’re registered): https://www.climatechangemakers.org/quick-register-to-vote
Check out the Evergreen Action Plan 2.0: https://evergreenaction.com/initiatives/a-bold-climate-plan-evergreen-action-plan-2
And if you want to get more involved, Climate Changemakers also lined up this Vote Forward page, where you can write letters and send them to potentially critical prospective voters in swing states. You can write about whatever you want, but if you’re reading this, you might want to focus on the exciting and actually very good climate action that could come from the next climate-focused US President: https://votefwd.org/climatechangemakers
BONUS EPISODES available on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/deniersplaybook)
SOCIALS & MORE (https://linktr.ee/deniersplaybook)
[For sponsorship inquiries, please contact climatetownsponsorships@gmail.com]
DISCLAIMER: Some media clips have been edited for length and clarity.
CREDITS
- Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben Boult
- Hosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole Conlan
- Executive Producer: Ben Boult
- Post-production: Jubilaria Media
- Producers: Irene Plagianos, Miranda Manganaro, Daniella Philipson
- Researchers: Carly Rizzuto, Canute Haroldson & James Crugnale
- Art: Jordan Doll
- Music: Tony Domenick
- Special thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense Center
- In partnership with: Evergreen Action
SOURCES
- Project 2025 | Presidential Transition Project. (2024). The Heritage Foundation.
- Dans, P., & Groves, S. (Eds.). (2023). Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise. The Heritage Foundation.
- The Heritage Foundation. (2023, April 28). Project 2025: Staffing the Next Conservative Administration | #Heritage50 [Video]. YouTube.
- ProPublica. (2024, August 10). Project 2025 Private Training Video: Left-Wing Code Words and Language [Video]. YouTube.
- MSNBC. (2024, June 22). Top Project 2025 architect talks conservative blueprint for Trump second term [Video]. YouTube.
- CNN. (2024, July 4). Pro-Trump think tank leader makes ominous threat about ‘second American Revolution’ [Video]. YouTube.
- The Kevin Roberts Show. (2024, September 24). New York Times Climate Forward | Dr. Kevin Roberts [Video]. YouTube.
- Heritage Response Room. (2018, January 25). Tommy Binion discusses how Trump has embraced 64% of Heritage policy recommendations on Fox Business [Video]. YouTube.
- Washington Post. (2017, October 18). Watch Trump’s full speech to the Heritage Foundation [Video]. YouTube.
- CNN. (2024, July 11). Evidence shatters Trump’s claims about his ties to Project 2025 [Video]. YouTube.
- Fox News. (2024, July 25). Trump dispels myths on Project 2025: 'I have nothing to do' with it [Video]. YouTube.
- Trump, D. J. [@realDonaldTrump]. (2018, February 28). The Heritage Foundation has just stated that 64% of the Trump Agenda is already done, faster than even Ronald Reagan [Tweet]. X.
- Trump, D. J. [@realDonaldTrump]. (2024, July 5). I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. Truth Social.
- Trump, D. J. [@realDonaldTrump]. (2024, July 11). I know nothing about Project 2025. I have not seen it, have no idea who is in charge of it. Truth Social.
- Wiles, S., & LaCivita, C. (2024, July 30). Trump Campaign Statement on Project 2025’s Demise. Donald J Trump for President.
- The Heritage Foundation. (2024). About Heritage. The Heritage Foundation.
- Blasko, A. (2004, June 7). REAGAN AND HERITAGE: A Unique Partnership. The Heritage Foundation.
- Malcolm, J., Slattery, E., & Bates, T. (2017, February 1). A Closer Look at Neil Gorsuch, an Excellent Choice for the Supreme Court. The Heritage Foundation.
- Heritage Expert Helps Shape Supreme Court Nominee List. (2016, September 14). The Heritage Foundation.
- Heritage Analysis of Trump Administration’s First Year Draws High-Profile Attention. (2018, February 28). The Heritage Foundation.
- Kavanaugh Was Included on the List The Heritage Foundation Helped Compile. (2018, August 31). The Heritage Foundation.
- Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh Was Included on the List The Heritage Foundation Helped Compile. (2018, August 31). The Heritage Foundation.
- Heritage Pulls Out All Stops for Amy Coney Barrett's Confirmation. (2020, October 27). The Heritage Foundation.
- McMurry, Evan. (2015, July 19). Fox Panel Dines Out on Trump’s Comments: ‘Despicable,’ ‘Clown.’ Mediaite.
- NowThis Impact. (2024, July 1). BET Awards Host Taraji P. Henson: 'Project 2025 Is Not a Game' [Video]. YouTube.
- Crowley, Kinsey. (2024, July 11). How did 'Project 2025' talk erupt? BET Awards host Taraji P. Henson's comments offer clues. USA Today.
- Project 2025 - Explore. (2024). Google Trends.
- Noor, Dharna. (2023, July 31). Inside the Republican Plot to Dismantle US Environmental Policy. Mother Jones.
- Phillips-Fein, Kim. (2024, June 4). The Mandate for Leadership, Then and Now. The Nation.
- Gertz, Matt. (2024, July 8). Donald Trump on Heritage’s Kevin Roberts, who oversees Project 2025: “He’s going to be so incredible.” Media Matters.
- Westervelt, Amy. (2024, July 22). Newsletter: Everything You Need to Know About Project 2025's Plan for the EPA. Drilled.
- MacGillis, Alec. (2024, August 1). The Man Behind Project 2025’s Most Radical Plans. ProPublica.
- Kroll, A., & Surgery, N. (2024, August 10). Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos. ProPublica.
- Costello, T., & Lawrence, C. (2024, August 15). Undercover in Project 2025. Centre for Climate Reporting.
- Olmsted, Edith. (2024, September 25). Ex-Project 2025 Leader Brags Trump’s Policy Mirrors Theirs. The New Republic.
- Anthony, Jason. (2024, July 18).Project 2025 in the Real World. Field Guide to the Anthropocene.
- Guides: Public Policy Research Think Tanks 2019: Top Think Tanks - Worldwide (US and non-US). (2019). Penn Libraries; University of Pennsylvania.
- Ball, Molly. (2013, September 25). The Fall of the Heritage Foundation and the Death of Republican Ideas. The Atlantic.
- Mahler, Jonathan. (2018, June 20). How One Conservative Think Tank Is Stocking Trump’s Government. The New York Times.
- Waldman, Scott. (2023, July 28). Conservatives have already written a climate plan for Trump’s second term. Politico.
- Waldman, Scott. (2023, September 26). Conservatives have already written a climate plan for Trump’s second term. E&E News.
- Associated Press. (2024, July 7). Leader of the pro-Trump Project 2025 suggests there will be a new American Revolution. Politico.
- Contorno, Steve. (2024, July 11). Trump claims not to know who is behind Project 2025. A CNN review found at least 140 people who worked for him are involved. CNN.
- Tufts, Sierra. (2024, July 11). ‘I know nothing about Project 2025’; Trump posts on his social media site. Wane.
- Beckwith, Ryan Teague. (2024, July 12). Project 2025’s plan to criminalize porn has a sinister subplot. MSNBC.
- Hale, Z., & Tiernan, T. (2024, July 29). US ELECTIONS: Project 2025 blueprint envisions major rollbacks on US energy, climate policy. S&P Global.
- Ordoñez, Franco. (2024, July 30). Project 2025's director steps down, but the think tank says work will go on. NPR.
- Smith, M., & Swenson, A. (2024, July 30). Vance praises a key leader behind Project 2025, a conservative effort Trump has disavowed. AP.
- Asiedu, Kwasi Gyamfi. (2024, August 14). J.D. Vance wrote the foreword for Project 2025’s Kevin Roberts’ upcoming book. PolitiFact.
- Devine, C., Tolan, C., Ash, A., & Lah, K. (2024, August 15). Hidden-camera video shows Project 2025 co-author discussing his secret work preparing for a second Trump term. CNN.
- Durkee, Alison. (2024, August 15). What We Know About Trump’s Link To Project 2025—As Author Claims Ex-President ‘Blessed It’ In Secret Recording. Forbes.
- Kelly, John. (2024, August 22). Hundreds of proposals in Project 2025 match Trump's policies. CBS News.
- Kiely, E., Gore, D., & Farley, R. (2024, September 10). A Guide to Project 2025. FactCheck.org.
- The War on Cars. (2024, September 17). Project 2025 and the Stakes for Transportation [Video]. YouTube.
- NowThis Impact. (2024, July 8). Project 2025 Would Be Terrible for the Climate [Video]. YouTube.
- The Wall Street Journal. (2024, October 3). Why the Presidential Race Is Fixating on Project 2025 Now | WSJ [Video]. YouTube.
- CNN. (2024, Aug 21). Kenan Thompson tells friends about Project 2025 in DNC skit [Video]. YouTube.
- EPA Press Office. (2020, March 17). Mandy Gunasekara Sworn in as EPA Chief of Staff. US EPA.
- C-SPAN. (2015, February 26). Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) Snowball in the Senate (C-SPAN) [Video]. YouTube.
- DeSmog. (2024). Energy 45 Fund.
- Energy 45. (2020, February 19). Wayback Machine - Internet Archive.
- Wikipedia Contributors. (2019). Mexico City policy. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
- Project 2025. (2024). Kamala Harris for President: Official Campaign Website.
- The Second Half Of The Decisive Decade: Potential U.S. Pathways On Climate, Jobs, And Health. (2024, August 12). Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology.
- The Next President Needs a Bold Climate Roadmap: Meet the Evergreen Action Plan 2.0. (2024). Evergreen Action.
- We Wrote the Climate Playbook in 2020. Biden Has Made Significant Progress–And There’s More Opportunity Ahead. (2024, July 11). Evergreen Action.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The AI-powered Podcast Player
Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
