Poll: Project 2025 & Former President Trump

This Navigator Research report contains polling data on the latest perceptions of Project 2025, including which policies Americans find most concerning, whether Americans believe it accurately represents what Republicans in Congress and former President Trump stand for, as well as the most convincing facts that demonstrate Trump’s responsibility for the plan.

Awareness of Project 2025 has increased dramatically since May.

As awareness of Project 2025 has steadily increased, Americans oppose the plan by double-digit margins. 47 percent of Americans report having seen, read, or heard something about “Project 2025,” described as “a series of conservative policy proposals aimed at reshaping the executive branch of the federal government if a Republican is elected president in 2024” a 23 point increase since May of this year (24 percent). The most commonly cited words among those who have heard something about Project 2025 include “Trump,” “conservative,” “government,” “Republican,” and “take away.” 

• Americans oppose Project 2025 by a 33-point margin (14 percent support – 47 percent), including Democrats (net -62; 7 percent support – 69 percent oppose) and independents (net -37; 7 percent support – 44 percent oppose). A majority of Republicans are unsure whether they support or oppose the plan (24 percent support – 24 percent oppose – 52 percent not sure). Support is higher among Republicans who support the MAGA movement (net +7; 30 percent support – 23 percent oppose – 47 percent not sure) compared to non-MAGA Republicans (net -9; 17 percent support – 26 percent oppose – 57 percent not sure).

The most concerning policies include allowing the president to have unchecked legal power and banning abortion nationwide.

The most concerning policies in Project 2025 include “allowing the president to have unchecked legal power” (29 percent most concerning, 53 percent top four most concerning), “banning abortion nationwide” (13 percent most concerning, 40 percent top four most concerning), and “removing health care protections for people with pre-existing conditions” (9 percent most concerning, 38 percent top four most concerning).

• Other policies that were ranked as the top four most concerning include “monitoring people’s pregnancies to potentially prosecute them if they miscarry” (33 percent), “allowing employers to stop paying millions of workers overtime” (30 percent), “banning Medicare from negotiating for lower prescription drug costs” (29 percent), and “abolishing the department of education” (28 percent).

Trump’s connections to Project 2025 are all convincing proof points of his involvement.

The majority of Americans believe Project 2025 accurately describes what Trump stands for, with the most convincing link being that 140 people who worked for Trump helped to write or collaborate on Project 2025. 51 percent of Americans believe Project 2025 accurately describes what Donald Trump stands for, up by 6-points since July (45 percent). The increase largely comes from independents who have moved 15 points toward thinking Project 2025 accurately describes Trump (from 28 percent to 43 percent), while Democrats also shifted 5 points (from 67 percent to 72 percent).  Nearly half of Americans also feel that Project 2025 accurately represents what Republicans in Congress stand for (46 percent), including a majority of Democrats (64 percent), Hispanic Americans (57 percent), MAGA Republicans (53 percent), and Asian-American Pacific Islanders (50 percent). The most convincing facts to demonstrate Donald Trump’s responsibility for Project 2025 include:

• At least 140 people who worked for Donald Trump, including six of his former Cabinet secretaries, helped to write or collaborated on Project 2025 (57 percent responsible, including 54 percent of independents);
• In just the first two years of his presidency, Donald Trump bragged about implementing 64 percent of the Heritage Foundation’s agenda, which is the organization behind Project 2025 (57 percent responsible, including 52 percent of independents);
• Donald Trump’s name is mentioned hundreds of times in Project 2025 (56 percent responsible, including 48 percent of independents);
• Donald Trump’s vice Presidential pick, J.D. Vance is deeply connected to Project 2025. Vance has deep ties to Project 2025’s author, has praised the author publicly and has endorsed many of Projects 2025’s ideas (56 percent responsible, including 49 percent of independents); and,
• Donald Trump may say he doesn’t know anything about Project 2025, but he is a habitual liar who is lying about his connection to Project 2025 because he knows it’s unpopular (53 percent responsible, including 49 percent of independents).