On Monday, former Fox Information host and right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson launched an interview with billionaire and X proprietor Elon Musk. On the nineteen minute mark of the 108 minute lengthy interview, Carlson takes a break to speak about one of many present’s paid companions, the conservative suppose tank Heritage Basis. Carlson then goes on to explain one thing that sounds suspiciously like Undertaking 2025, the Basis’s extremely controversial roadmap for a second Trump presidency.
The Heritage Basis, Carlson says, “pulled collectively a coalition of over 100 proper leaning teams to develop a complete plan for a one which would come with detailed coverage proposals on essentially the most urgent points,” and “has additionally developed a plan to dismantle the deep state that retains this nonsense going and reclaim this nation from a small group of technocrats that is damaged the whole lot.”
Although Carlson doesn’t seek advice from Undertaking 2025 by identify, this language he used within the advert mirrors the textual content on the Undertaking 2025 web site, which says the plan “introduced collectively by over 100 revered organizations from throughout the conservative motion, to take down the Deep State and return the federal government to the folks.”
Carlson additionally referenced Undertaking 2025’s personnel program, laid out by former Trump aide John McEntee, meant to make sure that a second administration is staffed with loyalists.
The Tucker Carlson Community didn’t reply to a request for remark about whether or not the advert was particularly for Undertaking 2025. The Heritage Basis didn’t reply to questions on whether or not the advert describes Undertaking 2025 or one other initiative.
Trump has made efforts to distance himself from Undertaking 2025 after its unpopularity turned evident. The Harris marketing campaign has honed in on the intense nature of Undertaking 2025, highlighting it in a number of adverts. After Trump disavowed the Undertaking 2025, Paul Dans, director of the Heritage Basis, stated it could be winding the venture down.
On the time, Trump marketing campaign spokespeople, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, stated, “Reviews of Undertaking 2025’s demise could be enormously welcomed and will function discover to anybody or any group making an attempt to misrepresent their affect with President Trump and his marketing campaign — it is not going to finish properly for you.”
Undertaking 2025 would roll again authorized protections for girls, LGBTQ+ folks, and racial minorities; curtail the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company’s (CISA) efforts to counter mis- and disinformation; hobble the nation’s means to chop carbon emissions and handle local weather change; and even abolish the Federal Commerce Fee.
The particular sponsor hyperlink for Carlson’s present results in a donation web page that additionally doesn’t particularly point out Undertaking 2025, however does name for assist to assist “finish unlawful immigration.”
After leaving Fox Information, Tucker Carlson based the Tucker Carlson Community, which hosts his present on-line. Carlson has partnered with X to host his present, although X didn’t reply to questions on whether or not the interview with Musk was hosted on X or if the corporate was part of placing it collectively.
Within the interview, Musk says that he believes {that a} Kamala Harris administration would search to close down X, and stated he was “all in” on Trump. On October 5, Musk joined Trump on the marketing campaign path in Butler, Pennsylvania, the place three months in the past, the previous president was the goal of an assassination try. Musk used his time on stage on the rally to encourage Trump supporters to “vote, vote, vote,” claiming that, ought to Trump lose, 2024 could be the final election in america. Musk repeated this declare throughout his interview with Carlson.