It’s not the man, but the policies we need to look at.
That’s what many are saying these days. So, YES! Let’s look at those policies. I’ve got you covered. I’m going to take Trump’s 20-point platform from his website and perform an analysis.
At the same time, the Democrats have been attacking Project 2025. It’s part of Harris’ campaign, and all my friends are telling me about the dangers it holds. But here’s the thing – Trump doesn’t like it. He didn’t write it, so he’s not going to claim it. It was written by the Heritage Foundation, who saw that in 2017, Trump was unprepared in his transition into the presidency. The Heritage Foundation hoped to put together a play book that Trump could use, if he so chooses, so the transition in 2025 would be a lot smoother and accomplish more conservative priorities.
Sure – a lot of what Project 2025 says would come to pass, but there are a few points that contradict what Trump has been saying. And so, I fear that attacking Project 2025 is a big mistake. I’m concerned that many independent voters will see it as a big straw man, and decide not to vote for Harris.
Especially when we have Agenda 47. It’s like Project 2025, except it’s ALL Trump. And it’s OFFICIAL. It’s a series of videos and commentary on what he hopes to achieve as president. As expected, it’s a little sprawling, but it has videos of Trump himself making these claims, rather than some Heritage spokesperson. It also has a LOT in common with Project 2025. Further, it has ALL the parts that Trump agrees with and is missing the parts where Trump does not agree.
Project 2025 is something that MIGHT be, while Agenda 47 is what WILL be.
And it seems like a no-brainer to me. Why are the Democrats attacking Project 2025 when Agenda 47 is there front and center?
So, my post has two goals. Not only will I look at Trump’s issues, but I will also provide an example to my Democrat friends on how we can use Agenda 47 instead of Project 2025 to achieve the same goals. The 20-point agenda is heavily based on Agenda 47, and I will also add more detail from other commentary and videos in the “Agenda 47” section of his website. In other words, all of this is OFFICIAL.
And yes, this is long – do what you’d like. Scan the points, and pick your favorite ones for more details. Break it up into different reading sessions. Just make sure to catch the CONCLUSION at the very end.
1) SEAL THE BORDER AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION
I could write a whole article on my thoughts on immigration. In a nutshell, Trump was too harsh during his term, and Biden was too lenient. A good solution would be something in between.
The border could indeed use more securing – with innovative solutions and installments rather than an expensive, ugly, ineffective symbol. Ask the border agents what they need, and they’ll tell you. And what they need the most are more agents, which the GOP rejected late last year at the behest of Trump.
The fact that Trump is using the words “Migrant Invasion” should be a clear indicator that despite what he’s saying, he’s really concerned about reducing ALL immigration. This is typical anti-immigration rhetoric that’s been around for more than a century, historically offered by Democrat candidates, but now brought to us by Trump.
During Trump’s first term, illegal immigration did not go down, but rather up, especially in 2019. LEGAL immigration, on the other hand, went down. Trump made it harder to get through the gate, and his administration deported more green card holders and rejected more H1B1 VISAs (those who were here LEGALLY). He did this all while saying, “Come in through the gate.” This only increased the incentives to cross over illegally.
In general, there is no “invasion.” Mexico and Canada are our friends – not enemies. Words matter here, and I’m not interested in supporting a platform that’s all about closing the gates.
2) CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY
I fully expect this to be a huge humanitarian crisis. And expensive, too. Agenda 47 allows for the use of the military (probably the National Guard) to help facilitate the move. At times, Trump had indicated that there would be migrant camps, but more recently he says that immigrants would be moved out too fast.
Trump plans to institute a 10% tariff on all foreign goods to help pay for this effort. So, we would all flip the bill – not Mexico. Also, in areas that rely heavily on migrant work, local economies could be severely disrupted.
As in similar operations in the past, legal US citizens are likely to be deported as well.
In a worst-case scenario, if this operation is botched big time, it could even help trigger a war with long-time allies.
In short, I do not trust Trump in handling such an operation.
3) END INFLATION, AND MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AGAIN
I would love to see the end of our latest inflation epidemic. Hmm … that’s an interesting word: epidemic, and yes – the biggest reason behind inflation today is COVID19 recovery. We economist types knew it was coming as early as 1Q2020 when we first started building “recovery” inflation models. There are other more recent events that affect inflation such as the Ukraine War.
Items that have contributed very little to inflation include the COVID19 relief packages – which small effects have long ago been felt and passed. Since mid-2022 we’ve had a relatively low inflation rate compared to the rest of the world. If anything, Biden hasn’t done much of anything to exacerbate inflation, such as how Orban’s meddling in Hungary caused hyperinflation.
Regardless of who gets in the White House, inflation is on its way down. Trump could only cause it to resurge with excessively high tariffs and meddling with the Reserve Bank (which is basically the mistake Orban made – forcing a lowering of interest rates instead of raising them).
In Agenda 47, Trump calls upon the doctrine of impoundment to help bring down federal spending. This is where the executive branch can force all agencies to clamp down on expenses. It something that sounds good on paper.
But consider this … in every single year Trump was in office, the annual deficit INCREASED (including adjusting for COVID19). I don’t have any confidence that Trump would do any better in 2025.
In general, how much debt the government holds doesn’t translate much into inflation and prices at home. But if we don’t get the total deficit under wraps, our nation’s credit could experience more downgrades, and yeah – that would end up increasing our prices at home, as well as lots of other bad things.
Clamping down on expenses is a good thing, but I don’t think any plan to save our deficit can be serious without a plan to increase revenues.
4) MAKE AMERICA THE DOMINANT ENERGY PRODUCER IN THE WORLD, BY FAR!
I’m not sure exactly what this means. Before I attack this one, I need to establish a core concept that relates to this point and several others.
Ronald Reagan was a strong proponent of free world trade, including the idea of specialization. That is, each country has its own strengths and weaknesses, much of which is determined by natural resources and unique talents. Instead of each nation being experts in EVERYTHING, it’s more efficient for each country to concentrate on its strengths, and sell that to the other countries for everyone’s mutual benefit. And in areas where countries are weak, it’s more efficient to purchase those goods and services from other countries that can provide it more cheaply. This idea of globalization was front and center of Reagan’s foreign policy.
We already experience this on a smaller scale. As we enter adulthood, we choose a profession and concentrate on that, while other people choose other professions. I went with actuary, economics, programming, math, and music. And sure, I could do a whole lot of other things, but my time is short, and I have money. I can pay others to do the things I choose NOT to do, so I have more time to do the things in which I excel. If I want my car fixed, I go to a car mechanic, not a doctor. Likewise, if I want my computer fixed, I’m not going to take it to a tax expert. That would be inefficient.
In other words: everyone benefits when we go to those who can produce a certain item or service cheaper than we can.
So, why again do we WANT to be the dominant energy producer? I picture Trump visiting the U. A. E. where everyone is rich and living like kings, and Trump saying: “I want this for the US.”
But aren’t we already a dominant energy producer? Well – that depends on how you define things. Currently we lead in oil production – though only because we have more land. Other countries still might be able to produce it more cheaply. Thanks to the uprise of fracking we have quickly become dominant in natural gas production. If we consider all “primary energy” then China leads, which makes sense – they have a lot of land and natural resources. With today’s trends, there’s no way we can catch up with China – and why should we? Note: primary energy is a measure of the raw energy produced before being translated into electricity or gasoline or other products we end-users use. It is the best stat in comparing production and consumption between different countries.
Should we shoot for energy independence? Sounds like a good idea. But again, it depends on how you define this. One definition could be: our primary energy production is greater than our consumption. That is, we produce enough for our needs and export the rest to other countries. Or in other words: a net exporter of energy.
By this definition, we’re already there. We’ve been independent (net exporters) since 2019 thanks to better technology and fracking. Also – green energy production makes up 9% of our total production and continues to rise.
But what I hear from most conservatives today is that energy independence means we don’t buy ANY energy from other countries. Reagan would call this a bunch of crock. Why would we cut ourselves off from the world market? The only reason we’re buying and selling is that we’re maximizing our economic benefit. We sell the stuff we produce cheaply, and we buy the stuff others produce cheaply. Reagan gives big thumbs up. If we were to cut this off – we hurt ourselves and energy prices would rise in the US.
But hey – if we truly want to show the world total energy dominance, then support nuclear fusion power. We could have it in a decade, and it would be a game changer. Whoever gets it first will be dominant.
If Trumps does what I think he would, it would not help us significantly, and the inefficiencies he’d create could make things worse.
5) STOP OUTSOURCING, AND TURN THE UNITED STATES INTO A MANUFACTURING SUPERPOWER
I won’t say much here, because I’ve already covered specialization. Sometimes outsourcing helps with costs, and sometimes it doesn’t. I wouldn’t want the government to take away this option (that is, making outsourcing illegal). Should we concentrate on manufacturing? Well – we ARE good at it. Perhaps we could take some measures to encourage this. I’d prefer that we concentrate more on producing more STEAM thinkers so we don’t get left behind in the technology world. (BTW, “A” in STEAM stands for Art.)
6) LARGE TAX CUTS FOR WORKERS, AND NO TAX ON TIPS!
I’ve already mentioned: revenue is a big problem for the US. Trump already gave us a large tax cut – mainly among the wealthy – but he didn’t curb spending, and it resulted in an annual deficit that increased each year. As much as I would love further tax cuts, I think fixing revenue should be a priority. I didn’t get much of a cut in 2017, but a lot of my rich friends did. They can pay their fair share.
The thing about tips is interesting to include in a concise policy statement. I also think it’s hilarious how the GOP goes crazy when Harris says she’s also going to pursue no tax on tips. Bigger fish, y’all. Bigger fish.
7) DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION, OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, AND OUR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS, INCLUDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, AND THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
I’m entirely on board with this. Our Constitution has worked for two and a half centuries, and I think we need to keep it going. However, it’s the interesting interpretations of the Constitution by Trump and others in the current GOP that has me concerned.
Freedom of religion seems to be more of a “Freedom for Christians and yes … I guess Jews too, kinda” while other religions become more oppressed – which would send us back to the situation England was in when we left in the first place.
I don’t see how the GOP can call for the Freedom of Speech and ban books in the same breath. It seems that free speech on campus is great until it isn’t. Trump also often threatens the press, wanting to open outlets up more for frivolous libel claims. (And people do know that news outlets can already be sued for libel if lying has actually occurred … right? I can’t think of an outlet that hasn’t been sued.)
I’m not sure what is meant by “fundamental freedoms,” but it does seem that in the past four years, it’s been the GOP-led state legislatures that have taken away several freedoms from individuals.
And I’m not sure if the right to keep and bear arms is meant to include efficient killing machines. I’ve heard the arguments as to why we need these guns for our protection … but it seems like we’re certainly expending a lot of energy trying to protect us from ourselves more than we are from foreign or other domestic threats. I think an open discussion is warranted from both sides. This whole zero-tolerance stance on both sides is getting us nowhere.
Also, points #5, #9, #16, and #18 (and possibly others) seem to involve a hint of several of us losing some kinds of freedom. In short, I don’t think I trust the Trump and the GOP right now to “protect” our fundamental freedoms.
8) PREVENT WORLD WAR THREE, RESTORE PEACE IN EUROPE AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BUILD A GREAT IRON DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD OVER OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY -- ALL MADE IN AMERICA
I also don’t want World War Three, but honestly I just don’t trust Trump on this. Sure, he brokered some peace deals in the Middle East. But at the same time, during his four-year term, he weakened our nation’s political standing in the world stage – a natural consequence of his “America First” policies. When we damage our relationship with allies, become friends with totalitarians, and let them oppress neighboring democracies, it will certainly give MORE power to those who actually want WWIII.
Reagan would not approve of the current GOP platform, as it would go against his pro-liberal-international-order to stand up to protect other democracies from tyrants. He would blast the whole “America First” approach to foreign policy. He would condemn Trump for praising Putin during the Ukraine War.
As for the Iron Dome idea: it’s great for Israel, but doesn’t make sense for the US. Israel is a small country surrounded by threats. The Dome is good at handling short-range missiles. The US, on the hand, is a large country surrounded by allies. It would be expensive, ineffective, and a distraction from other more real threats. Like his ugly wall, it would just be a symbol that wouldn’t really do anything.
9) END THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
I’ll say just this: if I’m a crook, a conman, and I’m trying to get away from my prosecutors, what do you think I would say as they’re coming after me? Yeah, that’s right – “These agencies are being weaponized against me.” While Occam’s Razor tells me: “No, if you do the crime, these agencies are just doing their job. No one is above the law.”
Either way, it shouldn’t be lost on anyone, that as Agenda 47 addresses this concern, it proposes increasing the presidential powers to fire “rogue” agency employees, and other measures to ensure that these agencies stay in line.
Trump has also proposed using the DOJ to go after Cheney, Kinzinger, and other political opponents. In other words, ACTUALLY weaponizing our government. I guess it’s okay for Trump to do it if the goal is to dismantle that “Deep State”?
10) STOP THE MIGRANT CRIME EPIDEMIC, DEMOLISH THE FOREIGN DRUG CARTELS, CRUSH GANG VIOLENCE, AND LOCK UP VIOLENT OFFENDERS
What migrant crime epidemic? I hear a couple of pieces of anecdotal evidence, but the overall numbers don’t support the idea that migrants cause more crime than we natives do. In fact, per capita, the reverse is true. Looking back at a couple of centuries of data, this is usually the case with illegal aliens – they tend to be careful so they don’t draw attention to themselves and get deported. Plus, overall crimes numbers are trending downward. Anecdotal evidence makes for great news stories and supporting political talking points, but data is data and it says we’re doing better than we’ve had before. In other words: this campaign point is largely a straw man.
Nevertheless, it's always good to enforce the law, and lock up violent offenders, but I don’t trust Trump to do this effectively. He did a terrible job handling the BLM riots in 2020, and I don’t expect anything new in 2025.
11) REBUILD OUR CITIES, INCLUDING WASHINGTON DC, MAKING THEM SAFE, CLEAN, AND BEAUTIFUL AGAIN.
This is an interesting point, considering that cities are usually governed by states and not the federal government. Agenda 47’s Quantum Leap program suggests building up to ten Freedom Cities on underdeveloped federal land. Trump claims that people living there would be ensured the freedoms mentioned in Point #7 (which freedoms we already have), and there would be flying cars, affordable homes and a car for every family, and so on. I personally wonder if there will also be Trump Steaks and education at Trump University. Though, I think a city built on federal land would still be susceptible to its state’s laws.
Agenda 47 also proclaims a challenge to mayors and governors for already-existing cities to similarly clean them up and build great monuments for true American heroes. Here, Trump can only challenge, because again … out of his jurisdiction.
I have in mind the perfect futuristic city, and this isn’t quite it.
12) STRENGTHEN AND MODERNIZE OUR MILITARY, MAKING IT, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE STRONGEST AND MOST POWERFUL IN THE WORLD
We’re already there, though Russia and China are getting closer. Is Trump the best person to continue building up the military? He had a chance in his first term, and there wasn’t much of a noticeable increase. In fact, he ended up using money meant for the Pentagon in building up parts of his wall. Trump also exited no wars, nor entered into new ones. And Agenda 47 has several different hints of using the military on US soil (though in some cases, it may be referring to the National Guard). And Trump had often referred to the armed services as “his” forces. This concerns me somewhat.
13) KEEP THE U.S. DOLLAR AS THE WORLD'S RESERVE CURRENCY
This would be great, but we don’t get to decide this. “America First” would undoubtedly weaken the value of the U.S. dollar, and put our status in jeopardy. Trump’s proposed tariffs, which would be paid by mostly us, could cause further inflation and weaken the value of the dollar. Though not part of Agenda 47 (as far as I can tell), if Trump listens to his advisers who want to purposefully devalue the dollar, then yes, we’re going to lose this status as the world’s reserve currency. We could soon see the Euro overtake the Dollar in this status.
14) FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE
Not much to say here – except, isn’t it usually the GOP who calls for Social Security/Medicare reform? Eventually, we’re going to have to find out how to pay for it all a decade from now when the program fails to be actuarially solvent. One battle at a time, I suppose.
15) CANCEL THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE AND CUT COSTLY AND BURDENSOME REGULATIONS
In general, I would support less regulation. But after a decade of alarming rising temperatures followed by these last two years that have been even more alarming, I don’t think we can ignore environmental concerns.
Trump says that climate change isn’t our concern – that China is the number one polluter. However, if we look at carbon emissions per person, the US has almost double the emissions. In 2022, the US had 15 metric tons per person, while China had 8. So, yes – it is our bag, baby. China is working hard to continue lowering emissions, and we can do the same. Surely we would want those Freedom Cities to be free of excessive pollution.
However, I do understand, and I’m also skeptical of the electric vehicle mandate. It seems that for it to be a viable option for everyone, the technology still needs to be improved: faster charging times and longer travel distances. It’s better than it was 10 years ago, but I don’t think we’re there yet. I think we’ll eventually figure it out.
16) CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ANY SCHOOL PUSHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND OTHER INAPPROPRIATE RACIAL, SEXUAL, OR POLITICAL CONTENT ON OUR CHILDREN
Of all the 20 points, I believe this one most aptly captures the stupidity and incompetence that has infected the entire GOP. [Note that I am referring to the leaders – not my conservative friends who vote for them.] And I don’t say that lightly. It’s a HUGE reason why I left the GOP in 2016, and I see no sign of returning anytime soon. 2023 was the least-productive House session in decades, and it’s largely because of stupid nonsense like Point #16.
CRT is a topic that was never taught anywhere except as an elective or required only in certain related majors at certain colleges. But yet it has become a buzzword that most GOP leaders use to rile up the conservative masses. And the main concern? “We don’t want our children to feel bad at school.”
Look – I know schools teach things I don’t agree with. That’s why we have frequent conversations with our children so they can have more understanding. And I get that young minds are impressionable – but still, the best remedy is – talk to your children.
As a young student, I remember feeling bad when we learned about racism and some of the terrible things that happened in the US. Of course, I knew I wasn’t the one who committed those terrible acts, but it helped me to resolve not to do them when I got older, and also to help others not to do it.
I also remember learning things I didn’t agree with … and I dealt with it. Surely we could have a little more faith in the ability of our children to handle these things.
I see Point #16 as a way to try and rewrite the history books so that those who practice these racist and anti-tolerant acts can avoid having to feel bad about it.
17) KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN'S SPORTS
What’s this doing here? This doesn't appear anywhere in my list of concerns. I get that we should have an open discussion – how do we handle women who have a possibly unfair testosterone advantage but still want to play sports? I don’t know if I trust politicians to decide this one. Next!
18) DEPORT PRO-HAMAS RADICALS AND MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN
I’d like college campuses to be safe. Also, I’d prefer for them to be places where people can openly disagree. Oh – there’s that free speech thing again. Did you know in 2019 Trump signed an order pushing for free speech at all college campuses? What if that speech makes campuses not safe, such as antisemitism or anti-Muslim rhetoric? Anyone else see this clash between points #7 and #18?
Irony aside, I do think a solution exists where one can have that promised freedom of speech AND also air out concerns. What concerns me here is that Point #18 seems so one-sided. I get that Hamas is an evil terrorist organization, but what exactly constitutes a pro-Hamas radical? What about pro-Israeli-settler radicals? If one speaks up about all the innocents being killed, does that make them worthy of deportation?
I should mention here, that these people considered for deportation are aliens who are here legally – green cards or educational VISAs. To deport them on religious grounds alone is simply unconstitutional. You remember Trump’s first travel ban that got rejected by the Judicial Branch because of its religious test – and how it wasn’t accepted until the religious test was taken out? Dang that First Amendment and the Freedom of [ALL] Religions. Likewise, Trump will be unable to deport legal aliens solely on the fact that they are pro-Hamas, Muslim, or a member of any other religion, without seriously damaging our Constitution and the validity of our First Amendment.
And make our colleges patriotic again? What does this mean? Agenda 47 promises to create a credentialing body to certify teachers who embrace patriotic values and support the American Way of Life, and punish any who weaponize or nationalize civics education – whatever that means. This also reeks of countless lawsuits. Maybe I’ll go get my popcorn.
If one must sacrifice their own beliefs to become a teacher, or sign allegiances to Trump in order to get access to certain benefits, what does that mean for the rest of us and our freedoms?
19) SECURE OUR ELECTIONS, INCLUDING SAME DAY VOTING, VOTER IDENTIFICATION, PAPER BALLOTS, AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP
Okay. I want secure elections as much as the next guy. And 2020 was pretty much the most secure election we’ve had. Don’t believe me? Just ask Chris Krebs. That was the guy that Trump put in charge of increasing voting security, and well – he did a very good job. We know this because every single recount – automated and hand-counted – confirmed results in all 50 states. Several audits also confirmed the same results, including the highly GOP-biased Cyber Ninjas audit in Arizona.
BTW, did you know that most Republicans don’t realize that Cyber Ninjas found about 360 more votes for Biden, and that their report on September 24, 2021 states they did not find any proof of fraud to support a stolen election? I still get tons of messages today about how that audit found so many issues (turned out they just didn’t understand Arizona law).
I also still get several messages about the Georgia GOP reporting serious lapses of protocol in the 2020 election. But what people don’t seem to understand is that while some of those allegations might be true, there were already redundancies in place that kicked in to make sure that each vote was counted accurately. This was all confirmed and validated by the hand recount of ballots. If there were any issues, it would have been uncovered.
My concern is that over the last four years, in response to the Trump’s failure to overturn the results, the GOP in several battleground states have passed laws to make it easier for Trump to succeed this year. Many GOP states have decided to drop ERIC, a non-partisan national tool that is very good at identifying fraud. And some of those states have tried to replicate ERIC with their own database, but are failing because they don’t have access to national data. So, if someone votes twice in two of those states in 2024, it will be much harder to find.
The laws that were recently passed in Georgia also further erode the security of their elections. It allows one county to hold off on certifying results if it perceives shenanigans in another county. In other words, if Trump calls asking for 12,000 votes, officials might actually be able to comply this time around – just pick a county and don’t certify those results.
I do not trust anyone in the GOP at this time to head election security. Occam’s Razor has me seeing voter suppression, and I don’t like it.
20) UNITE OUR COUNTRY BY BRINGING IT TO NEW AND RECORD LEVELS OF SUCCESS
I don’t see how a leader can unite a country who mocks, vilifies, and threatens others with jail time. It is just morally impossible. He failed to unite in his first term, and he’ll fail again. He is not the leader I am looking for.
CONCLUSIONS
I do not like Trump’s policies, and I do not like the direction the GOP has gone. If Trump wins, I sincerely fear for our country and our Constitution. Agenda 47 is clear that Trump will try to increase his presidential power and do terrible things to certain groups of people. I fear that my freedoms may be taken away solely on the grounds that I disagree.
I’m saddened that I’m having to express these ideas. I wonder what has become of our humanity and our capacity to help and love each other. I wonder why so many people are more than willing to lash out at certain groups of people, as if they believe that’s the only way to be happy. I wonder why so many people choose a representative who spews hate every time he speaks. I wonder why many can’t see how much he botched during his first term because of … well … his ego, and his lack of experience and understanding of how the Constitution works.
I wonder: why do we even have to have this discussion today? 20 years ago, this 20-point agenda would have been condemned by both the GOP and the Democrats – and with prejudice. What have we become? Why can’t we go back to having reasonable conversations on political matters?
I’m also concerned that Harris isn’t going to win. Her campaign seems to think she’s got this in the bag, but the campaign is suffering from missteps, such as going after Project 2025 instead of Agenda 47. She’s going to lose the independent voters, and I’m hitting my forehead. Leave it to the Democrats to lose yet another easily-winnable race.
To Trump supporters, I say: I do not like his policies. While I may not hate Trump, I do despise his policies.
To my liberal friends, I say: please commence attacking Agenda 47 instead of Project 2025, and I promise you will have better results.
