You’ve probably seen the clip. Or the tweet. Maybe you saw the headline back in late 2024 where Matt Walsh, the guy who made a career out of asking what a woman is, basically broke the internet by saying, "Now that the election is over I think we can finally say that yeah actually Project 2025 is the agenda. Lol."
It was a total firestorm. People on the left felt vindicated, like the "secret plan" was finally out in the open. People on the right were either cheering or face-palming because the Trump campaign had spent months trying to distance itself from the Heritage Foundation’s 900-page "Mandate for Leadership."
But here’s the thing. Is Matt Walsh actually in Project 2025? Did he write the sections on ending DEI or banning pornography? The reality is a lot more nuanced than a snarky tweet suggests.
The Matt Walsh Project 2025 Connection: Reality vs. Hype
If you crack open the actual 900-page Project 2025 document—which, let's be honest, almost nobody has actually read cover to cover—you won't find Matt Walsh’s name listed as a primary author. The contributors are mostly former Trump cabinet members, guys like Russ Vought and Ken Cuccinelli. These are the policy wonks and the career bureaucrats, not the podcasters.
Walsh is a cultural lightning rod. He’s not a policy drafter.
However, saying he has "nothing" to do with it is also kind of a stretch. The Heritage Foundation, the group behind the project, has long supported the kind of aggressive cultural conservatism Walsh champions. When Project 2025 talks about "deconstructing the administrative state" or purging "woke" influence from the Department of Education, they are speaking Walsh's language.
Honestly, the biggest connection isn't a secret contract. It's ideological overlap.
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The DNC Stunt and the Documentary Pivot
One of the funniest—or most annoying, depending on your politics—bits of the 2024 cycle was when Walsh went to the Democratic National Convention. He was undercover, wearing a man-bun and pretending to be a "white ally" named Stephen.
He was handing out cards that supposedly warned people about the dangers of Project 2025. But when people scanned the QR code on the card, it didn't take them to a policy white paper. It took them to the trailer for his movie, Am I Racist?
This tells you everything you need to know about how Walsh views the "project." To him, it’s a tool. It's a way to troll the opposition and market his own content. He used the "boogeyman" status of Project 2025 to drive clicks to a documentary about the DEI industry.
What Project 2025 Actually Proposes (And Why Walsh Likes It)
While Walsh isn't the architect, he’s definitely the cheerleader. Why? Because the policy goals align almost perfectly with his "Theocratic Fascist" (a label he uses ironically, or so he says) brand.
- Pornography Bans: The Mandate for Leadership calls for a total ban on pornography, classifying it as a "public health hazard." Walsh has been beating that drum for years.
- Gender Ideology: The project suggests removing terms like "gender identity" and "gender equity" from every federal rule and regulation. This is the core of Walsh's entire public persona.
- The DEI Purge: Project 2025 aims to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion offices across the federal government. Walsh’s 2024 film was essentially a 100-minute argument for why this should happen.
It’s less about Walsh directing the project and more about the project being the legislative version of a Matt Walsh monologue.
The "Agenda" Tweet: Was He Serious?
When Walsh tweeted that Matt Walsh Project 2025 was "the agenda," he was playing a specific game. In the world of online political commentary, "trolling" is a legitimate strategy. By confirming the left's biggest fear right after the election, he ensured he was the center of the conversation.
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But look at the "Lol" at the end of his post.
It was a wink. He was mocking the idea that there was some grand, secret conspiracy. To Walsh, the "agenda" isn't a hidden document; it's just what he thinks the right should do. If you listen to his show, he’s very open about wanting the next administration to be as "radical" as possible in dismantling the current system.
How Much of it is Actually Happening?
We are now well into 2026. Looking back at the first year of the current administration, the "Project 2025" scorecard is a mixed bag.
Some things happened fast. The Department of Education has been significantly scaled back. DEI offices in the military were shuttered within the first 100 days. These are the "easy wins" for the administration that align with both the Heritage Foundation and Walsh’s audience.
Other parts? Not so much. The mass firing of 50,000 civil servants—the "Schedule F" plan—has been tied up in the courts for months. You can’t just replace the entire government overnight without hitting a wall of lawsuits.
Does it Matter if He’s Involved?
Ultimately, the obsession with whether Matt Walsh "is" Project 2025 misses the point. He is a cultural influencer. His job is to move the "Overton Window"—the range of ideas tolerated in public discourse.
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By pushing "extreme" ideas on his podcast, he makes the actual policy proposals in Project 2025 look like a moderate middle ground.
If Walsh is out there calling for a complete ban on all gender-affirming care for everyone, then a policy that "only" bans it for minors or stops federal funding for it suddenly seems like a "compromise." That's his real role in the machine.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re trying to navigate this landscape, don't just take a podcaster's tweet at face value. Here is the move.
First, if you really want to know what's coming, look at the executive orders actually being signed, not the 900-page wish list from a think tank. The Heritage Foundation can suggest whatever they want, but the White House counsel's office has to actually figure out if it's legal.
Second, watch the budget. Policy is just talk until someone pays for it. If the funding for a specific agency isn't being cut, the agency isn't going anywhere, regardless of what's written in a "Mandate for Leadership."
Keep an eye on the court cases in the D.C. Circuit. That’s where the real fight over Project 2025 is happening right now, far away from the "Lol" tweets and the man-bun disguises.
Finally, realize that for guys like Walsh, the controversy is the product. Whether the policy passes or fails, he still gets the views.