Ahead of Donald Trump’s keynote address at the Moms for Liberty Summit tonight, DNC Spokesperson Aida Ross released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump is campaigning with a group of far-right Project 2025 extremists so focused on gutting public education that their spokesperson called for a ‘mass exodus from the public school system.’ Moms for Liberty isn’t just leading the charge to ban books and attack kids across the country – they also have ties to the Trump-Vance ticket’s Project 2025 agenda to defund public schools, eliminate the Department of Education, and hurt students. American families know public education is a cornerstone of our democracy, and they won’t let Trump and Vance take it away.” 

Donald Trump is speaking to Moms for Liberty tonight, an extreme Project 2025 group focused on undermining public education and banning books in schools around the country. 

Newsweek: “Project 2025: Full List of Organizations Behind Proposals”

“Moms for Liberty”

NPR: “Moms for Liberty, founded in early 2021 by conservative women in Florida, has quickly expanded its presence across the country. It has landed national media attention for its efforts — sometimes successful — to fight COVID safety measures in schools, ban books, limit discussion about race and LGBTQ identities and populate local school boards with conservatives. 

“Recent NPR/Ipsos polling finds, however, that most Americans, including nearly half of Republicans, oppose banning certain books in schools — a central campaign for Moms for Liberty.”

Media Matters: “With over 200 chapters, Moms for Liberty has become the largest driver of the nationwide book banning crusade, which has led to harassment and threats against public school teachers, librarians, and education officials.” 

Philadelphia Inquirer: “The national group has led culture-war crusades against school boards, pushing to ban books it deems pornographic from libraries and accusing teachers of seeking to indoctrinate students.”

The group’s spokesperson even called for a “mass exodus from the public school system”

ABC13: “The spokeswoman for Moms for Liberty, who called for a ‘mass exodus from the public school system,’ explained to The National Desk Wednesday night why her idea is ‘very realistic.’”

Moms for Liberty has close ties to the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank that is leading Project 2025 and whose leaders are allies of Trump and JD Vance.

Media Matters: “Moms for Liberty also appears to be affiliated with — or at least a frequent promoter of — the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing Koch-funded think tank with a history of attempting to influence public education. […]

“The ‘resources for parents’ page on Moms for Liberty’s website is almost exclusively composed of links to the Heritage Foundation. The page first directs parents to a ‘Heritage Action for America’ guide to filing an open records request. Next, the page directs parents to the Leadership Institute — an organization run by Morton Blackwell, who received the Heritage Foundation’s ‘Titan of Conservatism Award.’ The Heritage Foundation’s website is listed as the next resource. After that, the Heritage Foundation’s guide to the Constitution is listed.”

PBS: “The conservative Heritage Foundation’s 2022 tax filing shows it gave Moms for Liberty $25,000 when it awarded the group its annual Salvatori Prize for Citizenship. And the Leadership Institute, which has trained conservative politicians from former Vice President Mike Pence to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said on its website that it was the top sponsor for Moms for Liberty’s 2022 national summit.”

Washington Post: “Trump took a private flight with Project 2025 leader in 2022”

“‘They’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do,’ Trump said.”

Axios: “J.D. Vance wrote foreword of upcoming book from Project 2025 architect”

The New Republic: “Project 2025 Leader Is Overjoyed by Trump’s Vice Presidential Pick”

Nick Corasaniti, New York Times: “[Roberts] reacted to the news [of Vance’s VP selection] ‘with a broad smile on my face’ and said that ‘privately, we were really rooting for him.’”

Vox: “Kevin Roberts, the president of the right-wing Heritage Foundation and the driving force behind Project 2025, told Ward that ‘[Vance] is absolutely going to be one of the leaders — if not the leader — of our movement.’”

Project 2025 is “undeniably a Trump-driven operation” working on a blueprint for Trump and Vance to hurt students by eliminating the Department of Education, defunding public schools, and more.

Project 2025, p. 319: “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” 

“…every parent should have the option to direct his or her child’s share of education funding through an education savings account (ESA), funded overwhelmingly by state and local taxpayers” 

Project 2025, p. 331: “The new Administration must take immediate steps to rescind the new requirements and lessen the federal restrictions on charter schools.”

Project 2025, p. 350: “Title I is the largest portion of federal taxpayer spending under this federal education law, and the section provides additional taxpayer resources to schools or groups of schools in lower income areas… Over a 10-year period, the federal spending should be phased out and states should assume decision-making control over how to provide a quality education to children from low-income families.” 

Project 2025, p. 482: “Eliminate the Head Start program.” 

Project 2025, p. 332: “…the current Administration has drastically expanded BDR, CSLD, and PSLF loan forgiveness… The new Administration must quickly commence negotiated rulemaking and propose that the department rescind these regulations.”

Project 2025, p. 354: “The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which prioritizes government and public sector work over private sector employment, should be terminated.” 

Project 2025, p. 303: “Reject efforts to create universal free school meals.” 

Axios: “This is undeniably a Trump-driven operation. The biggest tell: Johnny McEntee — one of Trump’s closest White House aides, and his most fervent internal loyalty enforcer — is a senior adviser to Project 2025. One of the most powerful architects is Stephen Miller, a top West Wing adviser for the Trump administration.”

CNN: “Trump claims not to know who is behind Project 2025. A CNN review found at least 140 people who worked for him are involved”

Politico: “Many of the authors of the blueprint are former Trump officials, and the Heritage Foundation has spent the past year-plus recruiting people to implement the plans within the administration, Scott said.”

The Week: “Many of Trump’s indicated plans for a second term fall in line with the Project 2025 outline.”

New York Times: “[Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts] told me that he views Heritage’s role today as ‘institutionalizing Trumpism.’ … The lesson of Trump’s first year in office, Roberts told me, is that ‘the Trump administration … simply got a slow start. And Heritage and our allies in Project 2025 believe that must never be repeated.’”

Vance: “I’ve reviewed a lot of [Project 2025]. There are some good ideas in there.”