While there was lots of entertainment during the 2024 BET Awards, host Taraji P. Henson got political and very serious during the broadcast. Henson called out a far-reaching Republican plan for a second Trump term, appearing with Vice President Kamala Harris as well as delivering a passionate speech to the audience about the upcoming election and the stakes of the political race.
“The Project 2025 plan is not a game. Look it up!”
Henson appeared in a recorded segment with Harris. The vice president warned against Republicans launching a “full-on attack on our fundamental freedoms,” such as voting rights, reproductive freedoms and LGBTQ+ rights. “The majority of us believe in freedom and equality,” Harris said, “but these extremists, as they say, they not like us.”
Vice President Kamala Harris for the #BETAwards: "The majority of us believe in freedom and equality, but these extremists, as they say, they not like us." pic.twitter.com/wE0hDB3XId
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 1, 2024
“Did you know that it is now a crime to be homeless? Pay attention,” Henson said during a speech she delivered during the live portion of the show, referring to a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing cities to ticket or arrest homeless people for sleeping in public. Henson then referenced a Republican-backed plan for the next presidential administration. “The Project 2025 plan is not a game. Look it up!” she urged the audience, leaving many people wondering what exactly Project 2025 is and why we should be worried about it.
Taraji P. Henson blow up MAGA, republicans and trump in this speech!!!
Money@bet #Taraji P. Henson pic.twitter.com/aJyu9xzHqJ
— FC Barcelona (@2Buddy) July 1, 2024
An authoritarian plan for a second Trump term
Project 2025, also known as the Presidential Transition Project, is an extensive proposal of policies put forth by the Heritage Foundation, a top conservative think tank with input from dozens of conservative groups. Project 2025, which the Heritage Foundation has put forward in the form of a 920-page document published online, is a plan for a right-wing agenda to be put in place during a second Trump term. Critics argue that the plan would create an authoritarian presidency, taking power away from the other branches of government and empowering Trump to enforce an ultraconservative agenda throughout the country. Many conservatives, meanwhile, have embraced the plan.
The details of the plan include further restriction on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, such as banning abortion pills or restricting teachers from using the preferred names and pronouns of transgender students. The plan also calls for eliminating federal agencies like the Department of Education while giving more power to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to step up its efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. Project 2025 would also give the president more power over the FBI and implement a right-wing agenda at the Pentagon, ending DEI efforts while reinstating officials who were removed for refusing to get COVID-19 vaccinations. It would also allow Trump to fire tens of thousands of civil servants throughout the government and replace them with political appointees who would be loyal to him.
The publication of Project 2025 fits with a history of conservative organizations publicly announcing their controversial plans years in advance, such as repealing Roe v. Wade or ending affirmative action. With this track record of successes from the far right, it’s not hard to believe that Republicans fully intend on putting this plan into action if they have the chance.
