A viral rumor has circulated claiming that Senator JD Vance, recently selected as Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential race, authored the foreword for a book by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation and a primary figure behind Project 2025. This claim has sparked widespread interest, especially after Trump’s victory on November 5, 2024. As it turns out, the rumor is true—Vance did indeed write the foreword, and this revelation has intensified discussions about his and Trump’s potential alignment with the objectives of Project 2025.
The rumor initially emerged in July 2024, shortly after Trump announced Vance as his vice-presidential pick. Political commentator Ron Filipkowski tweeted that while Trump denied any direct ties to Project 2025, he acknowledged Vance’s involvement, specifically his authorship of the foreword. This was later confirmed when Andrew Prokop, senior politics correspondent at Vox, shared a screenshot of the book’s title page, listing Vance as the author of the foreword. Since Trump’s election win, the book, titled Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America, has gained renewed attention as a reflection of potential conservative policy directions under Trump and Vance.
Project 2025, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation and aligned with a conservative policy agenda for the U.S., has been under scrutiny for its ambitious goals. The initiative is designed to shape policy recommendations leading up to 2025, covering various conservative issues. JD Vance’s foreword has drawn particular attention, not just as a point of validation for the project’s objectives, but as a possible indicator of policy influences in a Trump-Vance administration. In August 2024, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz publicly addressed the issue in a speech, stating, “JD Vance literally, literally wrote the foreword for the architect of the Project 2025 agenda.” This statement added fuel to the discussion, underscoring Vance’s association with the project’s ideological framework.
The book’s publication has been subject to delays, reportedly due to the election season. Initially scheduled for a September release, the date was pushed to November 15 to avoid stirring political controversy before the election. Kevin Roberts, the author, explained his decision, stating, “There’s a time for writing, reading, and book tours—and a time to put down the books and go fight like hell to take back our country.” His choice to delay the book reflects a desire to prevent the work from becoming a political flashpoint, although it has, in some ways, achieved precisely that in the wake of Trump’s electoral win.
As for the content, Dawn’s Early Light
Despite the confirmations from various public figures and the screenshot posted by Prokop, neither JD Vance nor Donald Trump has commented directly on the foreword or their positions concerning Project 2025. Meanwhile, the growing association between Vance and Project 2025 has led some critics to question the implications of such a partnership on national policy.
Ultimately, the rumor that began circulating earlier this year has not only been substantiated but has also shed light on the potential policy direction of the incoming administration. As Dawn’s Early Light approaches its release date, many will be watching closely to understand how its themes may influence the policies of the Trump-Vance administration, setting the tone for conservative governance leading up to 2025.