Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign X A video was released in which Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance endorsed Project 2025.
J.D. Vance supports Project 2025. “You have to be really ruthless when it comes to using power. I don't think you can compromise. Unless you defeat them in some way, you're going to keep losing.” pic.twitter.com/2sVHp4i1ek
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 27, 2024
Verdict: False
This clip is from 2021. Project 2025 won't be created until April 2022, and the project leadership assignment was released in 2023.
Fact check:
Harris' campaign has focused on attacking Vance, with the vice president reportedly calling him a “lunatic.” CNNAccording to the media report, this comes as she is considering choosing her own running mate.
Kamala HQ is Harris' campaignclaimed that Vance was shown endorsing Project 2025 in the video.
“J.D. Vance endorses Project 2025: 'We have to be really ruthless when it comes to using power…I don't think we can compromise…Unless we defeat them somehow, we're going to keep losing,'” the post reads.
This claim is false. The interview took place in May 2021, when Vance, who was considering a run for Senate at the time, FederalistThe right-wing website Check Your Facts reviewed the video in its entirety and found no indication that Vance supports Project 2025.
Additionally, Project 2025, led by The Heritage Foundation, was established in April 2022. The Wall Street JournalThe Heritage Foundation also announced its launch in April 2022. press release.
“The Heritage Foundation today announced the launch of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, a new initiative dedicated to preparing the next administration with conservative policy recommendations and the properly vetted and trained talent they need to take America back. The 2025 Presidential Transition Project builds on The Heritage Foundation's long-standing 'Commitment to Leadership,' which has had a profound impact on presidential administrations since the Reagan administration,” reads part of the press release.
The Project 2025 leadership mission was announced in April 2023. The Heritage Foundation Announce the publication.
Representatives for the Trump campaign and the Heritage Foundation disputed the Harris campaign's claims.
“Nowhere in this video does Senator Vance endorse Project 2025. The Kamala campaign is desperately lying because they've already lost,” Caroline Leavitt, national spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told Check Your Facts in an email.
“J.D. Vance was talking about running for Senate during this interview,” said Matthew Tragesser, senior communications manager for the Heritage Foundation. (Related: Fox News column reports that “Kamala could become oldest female president”?)
“Project 2025 started in 2022. (The book) was mandated for 2023,” Tragesser said.
Ben Domenech, co-founder of The Federalist Magazine, who interviewed Vance, also disputed the allegations. July 28 X-post.
Kamala Harris' official campaign account published an interview I did. SourceThey falsely claim to be talking about the 2025 Project, but that was about four years before the project even existed. https://t.co/IfR6oDhDck
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) July 28, 2024
“Kamala Harris' official campaign account has posted an interview I did. Source“They claim to be talking about Project 2025, but that was almost four years before Project 2025 even existed,” Domenech said.
There are ties between Vance and the Heritage Foundation, which leads Project 2025. For example, Vance wrote the foreword to a forthcoming book by Heritage Foundation Chairman Kevin Roberts. AxiosFormer President Donald Trump has distanced himself from the project, according to the outlet.
Check Your Fact has reached out to Harris' campaign for comment.
