June 14, 2024

Former President Donald Trump traveled to Capitol Hill yesterday, seeking to show a united front with House and Senate Republicans in his first meetings at the Capitol since the January 6, 2021 attacks. Trump spent about an hour each with House and Senate Republicans, delivering free-wheeling remarks, fielding questions, and discussing issues—including Russia, immigration, tax cuts, tariffs, and other priorities for a second term. In particular, Trump floated the idea of imposing an “all tariff policy” to replace income tax as the federal government’s primary source of revenue. Trump also discussed using tariffs to leverage negotiating power over bad actors, indicating a more protectionist trade agenda in his second term than he pursued in his first.

The meetings between Trump and Republicans come after a group of House Democrats on Tuesday launched a task force to take on and publicize some policy ideas coming out of “Project 2025,” a roadmap that outlines policies Trump-aligned conservative groups envision enacting during a second Trump presidency. Project 2025 includes a list of policies the authors want Trump to enact in his first six months in office “to bring quick relief to Americans suffering from the Left’s devastating policies.” The group of House Democrats taking on Project 2025 is led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and includes, among others, Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu (D-CA), House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). The task force will liaise with outside groups aligned with Democrats and help gather research, organize briefings, and coordinate messaging and legislative strategy among the Democratic Caucus to highlight objections to the Project 2025 Agenda.

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