J.D. Vance Writes in Project 2025 Head’s Book: ‘Load the Muskets’

Although the architect of Project 2025 was ousted by the Trump campaign on Tuesday, the former president’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, has contributed to a book written by Kevin Roberts supporting the proposal. The contents of Vance’s introduction of Dawn’s Early Light were published by The New Republic, who accessed an advance copy of the book before it was pulled by the publisher. Vance heaps praise on Roberts’ work, calling it “profound” and possessing “real intellectual rigor.” Some of Vance’s comments in the foreword mirror his widely publicized views on marriage and controversial past statements expressing skepticism over no-fault divorce. “We should encourage our kids to get married and have kids. We should teach them that marriage isn’t just a contract, but a sacred—and to the extent possible, lifelong—union. We should discourage them from behaviors that threaten the stability of their families,” Vance wrote. However, in the same paragraph, Vance also calls for policies that would create better jobs, protect American industries, and otherwise help Americans support their families. “That means listening to our young people who are telling us they can’t afford to buy a home or start a family, not just criticizing them for a lack of virtue.” He ends the column with a violent call to action for conservative readers. “We are now all realizing that it’s time to circle the wagons and load the muskets. In the fights that lay ahead, these ideas are an essential weapon.”