Democrats have intensified their criticism of former President Donald Trump by using an enlarged copy of a conservative policy blueprint as a prop at their national convention in Chicago. The nearly 900-page document, titled “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,” was created by the Heritage Foundation and outlines sweeping changes for the next Republican president. Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow unveiled the oversized book during her speech on the first night of the convention.
She slammed it on the podium and told the audience, “They went ahead and wrote down all the extreme things that Donald Trump wants to do in the next four years.”
The convention organizers plan to feature the book every night, with a different speaker presenting it. On Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta remarked, “Usually Republicans want to ban books, but now they are trying to shove this down our throats.”
The document proposes significant changes, including firing up to 50,000 government workers and replacing them with presidential loyalists, dismantling the U.S. Education Department, restructuring the Department of Homeland Security, and advocating for a robust anti-abortion agenda. Trump has distanced himself from the document, denying any knowledge of the Heritage Foundation’s involvement.
Democrats highlight controversial policy proposals
However, Democrats have linked the former president to the document’s controversial proposals. Paul Dans, a former chief of staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management under Trump, oversees the project.
Russell Vought, Trump’s former White House budget chief, and John McEntee, a former senior adviser, are also key figures behind the project. On Wednesday, Democratic Vice Presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz closed out the night by calling out Trump and his running mate JD Vance, saying their agenda serves only the “richest and the most extreme amongst us.” Walz added that while Trump and Vance “spend a lot of time pretending they know nothing about” the document, his experience as a school football coach tells him, “when somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re going to use it.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis appeared on stage with the oversized document and warned that Trump could use “an obscure law from the 1800s” to ban abortion in 50 states. Polis tore off page 451 from the document, claiming it says “the only legitimate family is a married mother and father, where only the father works.”
Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson also brought out the oversized “Mandate for Leadership” on the DNC stage and performed a live sketch outlining some of its controversial positions.
Comparing it with the terms people have to agree to when downloading a new app on their phone, Thompson joked that the document is “the terms and conditions of a second Trump presidency.”
Despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself from the project, Democrats continue to use the document as a warning of what a second Trump term could entail.
