The Truth About Trump: Assassination Attempt, JD Vance, and Project 2025

Trump Narrowly Escapes Assassination Attempt

In a turn of events, former President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, immediately capturing the attention of the entire nation and the wider world. The incident, which occurred during a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, has reignited concerns about political violence and the safety of public figures in the current polarized climate. People of different political alignments have attempted to make sense of what happened. At the time of writing, all attention is now on the perpetrator, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Crooks shot at Trump with an AR-15-style rifle from a nearby rooftop while Trump was giving his speech at 6:11 PM ET. He hit Trump’s ear and killed one attendee while critically injuring two others before being killed by the Secret Service Counter Assault Team. Many theories regarding the circumstances of the incident are currently spreading on the internet. However, it is too early to make accurate conclusions regarding the incident.

If he was a lone actor, his would-be motive is certainly unclear. While he did donate $15 to a Democratic platform in 2021, he registered as a Republican voter in September of the same year. It is notable that before the shooting, Crooks made online searches for public appearances of both Trump and Biden, as well as various other U.S. government employees and even Kate Midleton. Therefore, many believe Crooks wanted to go down in history and be famous. Either way, what has just transpired has boosted Trump’s campaign significantly.

Introducing JD Vance: Trump’s Pick for VP

During the Republican National Convention two days later, Trump’s appearance was met with applause and chants as he emerged with a white bandage on his right ear, indicative of his injury. A day earlier, Donald Trump also announced his vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Vance is a venture capitalist who was initially opposed to Donald Trump in the 2016 election but has since made a sharp turn and now strongly supports him. He has been termed a right-wing populist and a neo-reactionary. Despite opposing free-market capitalism in favor of protectionism, tariffs, and antitrust policy, his social views differ considerably. He opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, pornography, and gun control. On Twitter, he interacts with many right-wing subcultures. For example, he follows Bronze Age Pervert (aka BAP), a prominent far-right internet personality known for extreme views akin to the ultra-fascism of Julius Evola. Vance is also friends with Curtis Yarvin, a philosopher of the neo-reactionary movement who believes American democracy has failed and should become a monarchy. Vance fits with the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. However, he is sympathetic to politics much farther to the right than mainstream Trump voters would interact with.

Project 2025

However, far-right politics will not only see a boost with Vance’s nomination but also with Project 2025. Project 2025 is an initiative organized by the Heritage Foundation to restructure the U.S. government to place it under partisan control should Donald Trump win the 2024 presidential election. It seeks to reclassify many federal civil service workers as political appointees to enable Trump and his administration’s policies. It proposes abandoning all strategies for reducing climate change. It proposes abolishing the Federal Reserve and replacing it with free banking. It aims to curtail “woke propaganda” in schools and proposes eliminating the Department of Education and allowing states to opt out of federal programs or standards. The project also advocates for drastic cuts in Medicaid and Medicare, and its policy agenda provides specific instructions for policymakers to undermine these programs.

As for foreign policy, it advocates for specific UN agencies to be defunded and allocate aid to advance the interests of fossil fuel companies rather than poorer countries that would use the aid to mitigate climate change. It further proposes privatization of many federal immigration agencies and forcing asylum seekers to pay huge fees. They also propose rounding up and detaining illegal immigrants and homeless people.

Regarding the president, it proposes a drastic increase in presidential power. It seeks to place the entire executive branch under presidential control and replace personnel with Trump loyalists willing to bend or break protocol, or in some cases violate laws, to achieve his goals.

There is much more to discuss regarding the 922-page policy agenda boasted by Project 2025. It is most definitely ambitious, and Trump has recently disavowed Project 2025 and seeks to distance himself from it. However, the Heritage Foundation is one of the leading think tanks in the country, and many key figures involved with Project 2025, such as Stephen Miller, are former members of the first Trump administration and are being considered for top positions in his second administration. The democratic backsliding that such an initiative would entail could turn the U.S. into a hybrid regime comparable to countries like Hungary, Turkey, or Nicaragua.

Whatever happens in the future, it is clear that the momentum that Donald Trump gained has surpassed expectations, and we can only hope he will keep his disarmament of Project 2025.

Works Cited

Haynes, Gavin. “JD Vance Has Some Weird Influences.” The Spectator, 17 July 2024, www.spectator.co.uk/article/jd-vance-has-some-weird-influences/. 

Reid, Tim, et al. “After Assassination Attempt, Trump and Biden Seek Calm, Unity | Reuters.” Reuters, 15 July 2024, www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-shooting-raises-questions-about-security-lapses-2024-07-14/. 

Richer, Alanna Durkin, and Eric Tucker. “Rally Shooter Had Photos of Trump, Biden and Other US Officials on His Phone, AP Sources Say.” AP News, AP News, 18 July 2024, apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b. 

Smyth, Julie Carr. “Who Is JD Vance? Things to Know about Donald Trump’s Pick for Vice President.” AP News, AP News, 16 July 2024, apnews.com/article/election-2024-trump-vice-president-vance-ohio-6500580aab0b451b0a176b9e9bf9901b. 

Stein, Chris, et al. “Trump Joins Crowd at Republican Convention Hall with Bandaged Ear, in First Public Appearance since Assassination Attempt – as It Happened.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 15 July 2024, amp.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/jul/15/donald-trump-republican-national-convention-speech-milwaukee-shooting-joe-biden-us-politics-latest-news-updates. 

Wendling, Mike. “What Is Project 2025? Wish List for a Trump Presidency, Explained.” BBC News, BBC, 12 June 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/c977njnvq2do.amp.