Trump Tries to Distance Himself From Project 2025 at Michigan Rally

Former President Trump tried to distance himself from Project 2025 at a rally in Michigan on Saturday.

The Details: The rally marked Trump’s first since he survived an assassination attempt last Saturday and since he named Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) his vice presidential nominee.

For Context: Project 2025 is a conservative policy doctrine organized by The Heritage Foundation (Right bias). Wikipedia, which AllSides does not rate but has been accused of left-wing bias in the past, describes it as an effort to “consolidate executive power should” Trump win the presidency.

Key Quote 1: “Some on the right, severe right, came up with this Project ’25. I don’t even know, I mean, some of them I know who they are, but they are very, very conservative. They’re sort of the opposite of the radical left. You have the radical left, and you have the radical right.” 

Key Quote 2: “They read some of the things, and they are extreme. I mean they’re seriously extreme, but I don’t know anything about it. I don’t want to know anything about it, but what they do is misinformation, disinformation, and they keep saying he's a threat to democracy. I'm saying, what the hell did I do for democracy? Last week, I took a bullet for democracy.”

How The Media Covered It: Trump’s comments weren’t widely covered across the spectrum as of Sunday afternoon. Most outlets didn’t appear to offer complete context around Key Quote 2. Newsweek (Center bias) framed coverage through conservative responses to Trump’s Project 2025 comments.