Section 4: The Economy
“The next Administration must prioritize the economic prosperity of ordinary Americans. For several decades, establishment “elites” have failed the citizenry by refusing to secure the border, outsourcing manufacturing to China and elsewhere, spending recklessly, regulating constantly, and generally controlling the country from the top down rather than letting it flourish from the bottom up.”
We’re off to a bad start, here, considering that many of the policies the Heritage Foundation has touted throughout Project 2025 would result in economic devastation. I address that every time it comes up under a specific mandate. Second, are they arguing that their particular brand of fascism wouldn’t be “controlling from the top down”? They’re literally arguing for staffing the entire federal government with regime loyalists. It’s throughout this document.
Third, they praise Reagan throughout this document, who gave us trickle-down economics, which not only didn’t work but is the opposite of “letting it flourish from the bottom up.”
Pay attention to their actions, not their words. Their guy (Trump) is the one who killed the bipartisan border control bill, so he could continue to campaign on it as an issue. Obviously, the border can’t be that big of a problem if it can wait to be addressed.
As for economically disengaging from China, as is argued for in the Foreword of Project 2025, the results of that, at this point, are also economic devastation.
Full contextual analysis of Section 4: The Economy here.
“Lassman does not think that an aggressive U.S. trade policy would lead to more manufacturing jobs. Rather, he writes, “Federal Reserve research shows” that the Trump Administration’s steel tariffs, and the retaliatory tariffs levied by other nations in response, “have cost about 75,000 manufacturing jobs while creating only about 1,000 jobs in the steel industry.” Furthermore, he writes that “protectionism and similar progressive policies tend to weaken American security.” Lassman maintains that “trade creates peace,” and if China weren’t so reliant upon trade with the U.S., it would be “much more unstable and dangerous.””
Project 2025 is a bit all over the place with regard to who supports tariffs and who does not. Lassman didn’t serve in the Trump administration, so perhaps he has a clearer picture of what a bad idea tariffs generally are. Lassman is correct in his assertion, but off on his numbers. Trump’s tariffs on China alone cost the United States 245,000 jobs, according to a Janurary 21 study, in addition to $51 billion in increased consumer prices and a net loss of $7.2 billion to the economy. More about that here.
For context, Lassman shares Section 4.6: Trade with Peter Navarro, who disagrees with him almost across the board. Peter Navarro DID serve in the Trump administration, and spent four months in prison in 2024 for contempt of Congress. Navarro is a proponent of “decoupling” from China.
Full contextual analysis of Section 4: The Economy here.
“In contrast to Lassman, Navarro thinks that “trade deficits matter a great deal.””
Trump is famously obsessed with trade deficits, and, like tariffs, doesn’t understand what they are or how they work. More commentary on that in the analysis linked below.
Full contextual analysis of Section 4: The Economy here.