Rep. Jamie Raskin discusses countering the right-wing Project 2025 agenda in a second Trump term. Topics include G7 summit, Southern Baptist Convention, and potential commutation of Hunter Biden's sentence.
House Democrats are actively countering the extreme policies proposed in Project 2025 to prevent the erosion of democracy.
With a potential 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, key legislative achievements like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and Roe v. Wade protection are at risk.
Deep dives
Project 2025 and the Threat of a Second Trump Term
Project 2025, a conservative plan encompassing restoring the family, dismantling government agencies, and enhancing individual rights, could pave the way for an autocratic theocracy under Trump. Democrats are mobilizing to educate voters on the extremist policies proposed by Trump and Republicans. If Trump secures a second term, the fear lies in eroding institutions, dismantling social structures, and consolidating power without checks.
Democracy Strengthening Efforts and Future Goals
House Democrats are focused on bolstering democracy by advocating for initiatives like D.C. statehood and constitutional amendments guaranteeing voting rights. Ensuring a national popular vote for the president and addressing disenfranchisement are top priorities. The goal transcends the current election cycle, aiming to enhance and expand democratic principles.
SCOTUS Impact and Democratic Messaging Challenge
With a potential 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, risks loom over key legislative achievements like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and Roe v. Wade protection. Despite the grave threats posed by a second Trump term, Democratic messaging struggles to resonate with voters, including the youth demographic, highlighting the need for targeted narrative shifts to effectively convey the dangers ahead.
House Democrats on Tuesday launched an official task force to take on the far-right agenda Republicans envision under a second Trump presidency. The group of Democrats aims to directly counter the plans outlined in “Project 2025,” a 1,000 page policy blueprint floated by the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation that calls for eliminating federal agencies like the FBI and Justice Department, restricting access to contraception, and concentrating more power in the presidency. Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin is on the task force. He joins us to talk about why a second Trump term could be more destabilizing than the first.
And in headlines: President Joe Biden and other world leaders are convening in Italy for the G7 summit, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a non-binding resolution that condemns the use of in-vitro fertilization, and White House Press Secretary avoided giving a definitive answer on whether Biden will consider commuting his son Hunter’s eventual sentence on federal gun charges.