The head of the right-leaning Heritage Foundation think tank said the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity was encouraging and that his group, known as Project 2025, was already in the process of “taking back our country.”
“We’re in the process of a second American revolution, and it will remain bloodless if the left allows it,” Kevin Roberts said in an interview on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast on Tuesday.
In an ideologically split 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court granted former President Donald Trump limited immunity from prosecution for official conduct, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor saying the decision dangerously expanded the power of the executive branch and made the president “king above the law.”
Roberts said Monday’s decision was crucial to ensuring the president is “forced to second and third-guess every decision he makes.” He also suggested the decision could lead to Project 2025 becoming a reality if Trump is re-elected in November.
The plan, also called the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, is a detailed 900-page “mission for leadership” outlining the next conservative president’s vision for his administration. The plan seeks to redefine the executive branch, including reforming multiple government agencies and replacing civil servants with political appointees. The plan has infuriated critics, who worry about its “apocalyptic” and “authoritarian” nature.
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“Despite all this nonsense from the left, we are going to win. We are in the process of taking back this country,” Roberts said Tuesday. “The reason they’re furious right now — for example, a lot of hosts on MSNBC are losing their minds every day — is because our side is winning.”
Roberts’ “War Room” appearance alarmed Democrats, who reacted with concern to his comments.
Biden-Harris 2024 campaign spokesman James Singer responded in a statement, drawing attention to Independence Day on July 4th.
“Tomorrow marks 248 years since America declared its independence from a tyrannical king, and now Donald Trump and his allies are trying to make him a tyrant at our expense,” Singer said. “They are dreaming of a violent revolution that will destroy the very idea of America.”
“It is organized groups on the left that have the capacity to stage violent insurrection,” Roberts argued in a statement to USA Today on Wednesday afternoon.
“The American people of 2024 are in the midst of carrying out a second American revolution to take back power from elites and autocratic bureaucrats,” Roberts said. “These patriots are committed to starting a peaceful revolution at the ballot box.”
Marianne Williamson, a frequent political candidate and spiritual leader, also responded on Twitter, adding, “This is appalling. Their idea of a second American revolution is a reversal of the first.”
Rachel Barber is a USA TODAY 2024 Election Fellow focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) as @rachelbarber_.