Authors and advisers of the ultraconservative manifesto are vying for positions in the next administration of the US president-elect. THE Donald Trump he’s not even president yet, and already there are several confrontations around his incoming government. Several of the people he chose to join his cabinet and serve in other important positions have sparked intense debate on Capitol Hill, as well as in the American media.

In November, Trump’s first nominee for Attorney General, Mr Matt Getzwithdrew after his nomination was met with outrage and disbelief. MME reported that Donald Trump had told Gates that he could not muster enough votes to be confirmed by the Senate. Not surprising, considering Getz had even alienated some Republicans with political attacks — and was investigated for alleged sex with a minor.

His critics say that some cabinet members were not selected for their qualifications, but rather about their relationship with the president-elect. “Cabinet picks highlight the importance of loyalty to Trump, either before or during the campaign”she told DW Michelle Igan, professor of politics, governance and economics at American University in Washington.

Plan 2025 – an ultra-conservative wish list

Several of Trump’s Cabinet picks have connections to the Project 2025the ultraconservative manifesto for the future of the United States, published by the Heritage Foundationa Washington-based think tank.

The goals detailed in Plan 2025 include; reducing the size of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and cutting references to climate change from government documents, accepting fewer refugees and limiting abortion rights.

“The 900-page report presents policy plans based on a very conservative social vision”Stormi-Annika Mildner, executive director of the Aspen Institute Germany, a transatlantic think tank based in Berlin, wrote in an email to DW. “Many of the proposals in the report are aimed at expanding the power of the president.”

During the 2024 US election campaign, Donald Trump distanced himself from the right-wing wish list. “I know nothing about Project 2025,” he wrote on the social media platform Truth Social. “I disagree with some of the things they say and some of the things they say are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”

After his election victory, Trump’s team continued to emphasize the distance between the new president and the hard-right conservative manifesto.

“President Trump never had anything to do with Plan 2025”Trump’s new spokeswoman said Caroline Levitt, as reported by the AP news agency. “All of President Trump’s nominees and Cabinet appointments are wholeheartedly committed to President Trump’s agenda, not the agenda of outside groups.” But the fact remains that several people involved with the plan are on Trump’s staff list for his new administration.

Strange coincidences

THE Rush Vaught he is Trump’s pick for the position director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a position that would have to be confirmed by the Senate. The director of OMB is responsible for preparing the president’s proposed budget and generally for implementing the administration’s agenda across all agencies.

Vaught, who could potentially end up in that influential role, wrote a Project 2025 chapter on presidential power, which he believes should be increased. He sees his role in management as vital to making that happen. The Office of Management and Budget according to him “it’s the President’s air traffic control system” and you should “participates in all aspects of the White House policy process.” Ideally, Vaught continued, it would “strong enough to bypass the bureaucracy of executive agencies”.

He’s not the only author of the 2025 plan who could soon be in the US government if Trump has his way. THE Brendan Carr appointed by the president-elect to chair the Federal Communications Commission, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.

Carr actually wrote the Project 2025 chapter for the Commission. In this, he asks to limit the immunity that technology platforms have from content posted by third parties. This means that YouTube, for example, could be held responsible for a video uploaded by a user that contains content that violates the law.

It is “very likely” that Trump will implement the plan’s proposals

Other Project 2025 collaborators Trump wants in his administration are the spokeswoman Caroline Levittwho appeared in Project 2025 training videos for conservatives interested in jobs in a right-wing presidency, and the Thomas HomanTrump’s future “border czar,” who is listed as a Project 2025 contributor and was a guest at the Heritage Foundation.

With so many connections between Trump’s incoming administration and the Project 2025 team, it seems unlikely that the new president won’t want to implement at least some of the right-wing policies outlined in the manifesto.

“Chances are high that the Trump team will try to implement many of these proposals.”said the expert in international economic relations Mildner. Could Trump bypass the Senate confirmation process?

Ambassadors, cabinet secretaries and nominees for positions like Vaught’s must normally be confirmed by the US Senate, where Republicans hold a slim 53-seat majority to Democrats’ 47.

Will it bypass the usual process?

Trump could do the so-called “suspended appointments”installing cabinet members while Congress is not in session. He has already called on Republicans to endorse his unusual plan in a post on social media platform X.

“The debate is whether the Senate will go into recess to allow the president to appoint his cabinet without subject to Senate approval.”stated Nolan McCarthyprofessor of politics and public affairs at Princeton University, to DW shortly after Trump’s election victory.

“We’ve never really had a situation where vacation appointments have been used to such an extent. They’re usually used for one or two appointments here and there, but to have an entire administration staffed by people appointed on vacation would be worrying.”

Edited by: Kostas Argyros