The Lincoln Project

The Lincoln Project is an American political action committee formed in late 2019 by several prominent Never Trump Republicans and former Republicans. The goal of the committee is to prevent the reelection of Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.[1] In April 2020, the committee announced their endorsement of Joe Biden, a Democrat, shortly after Bernie Sanders announced the suspension of his campaign.[2]

The Lincoln Project
Named afterAbraham Lincoln
FoundedDecember 17, 2019
Founders
TypePolitical action committee
PurposePrevent the reelection of Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election
WebsiteOfficial website

History

The committee was announced on December 17, 2019, in a New York Times op-ed by George Conway, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver, and Rick Wilson.[3] Other co-founders include Jennifer Horn, Ron Steslow, Reed Galen, and Mike Madrid.[4]

Conway is an attorney and the husband of Kellyanne Conway, an advisor to Trump; Schmidt and Weaver are political strategists, and Wilson is a media consultant.[5] All four, although conservative Republicans, are outspoken critics of Trump.[6] Jennifer Rubin, in a Washington Post op-ed, described the four founders as "Some of the most prominent NeverTrump Republicans."[7] Horn is a Republican operative[8] and former chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party,[9] Steslow is a marketing strategist and political consultant,[10] Galen is an independent political consultant,[11] and Madrid is a former political director for the California Republican Party.[12]

The committee is named for Abraham Lincoln.[13] On February 27, 1860, Lincoln gave a famous speech at Cooper Union, during his campaign to be the first Republican president.[14] Several members of the committee spoke in the same venue on the 160th anniversary of that talk, speaking from the same lectern that Lincoln had used.[15][16]

The members of Lincoln Project's advisory board—Conway, Schmidt, Weaver, Wilson, and Reed Galen—published another op-ed in The Washington Post on April 15, 2020, endorsing the presidential candidacy of former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, writing: "We’ve never backed a Democrat for president. But Trump must be defeated."[17] The op-ed argued that Trump was unqualified to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ensuing economic downturn.[17]

Stuart Stevens announced, on May 28, 2020, that he had joined the project. Stevens had previously been the chief strategist for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in 2012. Prior to that, he had worked for George W. Bush and Bob Dole.[18]

On June 2, 2020, the project announced the release of their podcast, Republicans Defeating Trump, hosted by Ron Steslow.[19][20]

Television ads

The Lincoln Project has produced a number of anti-Trump television advertisements. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin called the project's ads "devastating for several reasons: They are produced with lightning speed, and thereby catch the public debate at just the right moment; they hammer Trump where he is personally most vulnerable (e.g., concerns about his vigor, concerns about foreign corruption); and they rely to a large extent on Trump himself — his words and actions."[21]

On March 17, 2020, the committee released a video, titled Unfit, which criticized Trump for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[22]

On May 4, 2020, another video was released; Mourning in America was styled after Ronald Reagan's Morning in America 1984 campaign ad.[23] It focused on Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis, and asserted that the country was "weaker and sicker and poor[er]" under President Trump's leadership.[23][24][note 1] On June 1, 2020, the Lincoln Project released another ad, Flag of Treason, that blasted Trump's record on race relations in the U.S., highlighted the use of the Confederate battle flag by Trump supporters at Trump rallies, and emphasized the support Trump has received from white nationalists.[25][26] Both ads ran on television in crucial swing states.[8][25]

In early June 2020, the Lincoln Project released an ad, Mattis, that repeated criticisms of Trump by former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, following the Lafayette Square and Saint John's Church attacks against protesters, and asked viewers, "Who do you trust: the coward or the commander?" The ad also criticized Trump for having "dodged the draft" and for hiding "in a deep bunker — firing off tweets."[27][28]

On June 17, 2020, the Lincoln Project released two ads.[29] The first, entitled #TrumpIsNotWell,[30] was a 45-second-ad showing a video of Trump slowly, haltingly walk down a ramp at West Point[29][31] and a video of Trump appearing to struggle to lift a glass of water,[31][30] and narration suggested that Trump was physically unfit.[29][31][30] The ad's voiceover said, over images of Trump: "He's shaky, weak, trouble speaking, trouble walking. So why aren't we talking about this? The most powerful office in the world needs more than a weak, unfit, shaky president. Trump doesn't have the strength to lead, nor the character to admit."[29] The ad was controversial: some observers viewed it as appropriate in light of Trump's past comments and mockery about the health of his rivals, while disability rights activist Rebecca Cokley of the Center for American Progress criticized the ad as ableist.[30] The second ad released on June 17, Tulsa, criticized Trump for planning a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma (the site of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre) on Juneteenth, a holiday marking the abolition of African American slavery.[29][32]

On June 18, 2020, the Lincoln Project release an ad entitled Chyna,[33] attacking Trump on his China policy, with narration saying "They know who Donald Trump is: weak, corrupt, ridiculed, China beats him every time. No matter what he says, China's got his number."[34][35] The ad attacks Trump for his handling of the trade war with China[33] and makes reference to Ivanka Trump's business dealings in China, including the Chinese government's grant of trademarks to her.[34] The project released the ad just after Trump's former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, published an excerpt from his memoir, in which Bolton wrote that Trump asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to assist him in getting elected and had told Xi that he should continue building interment camps detaining Uyghurs.[35][34] The ad makes reference to Bolton's book.[34]

Fundraising

From its creation to the end of March 2020, the Lincoln Project had raised $2.5 million in contributions and spent $1.2 million of that sum.[35]

Reactions

The Lincoln Project was criticized in an editorial in the conservative Washington Times (which called the group's founders "nominal Republicans" and RINOs);[36] in an opinion piece by Jay Caruso in the Washington Examiner (which criticized the committee for targeting Republican Senators Cory Gardner and Susan Collins);[37] and by Republican commentator Jeffrey Lord, writing in The American Spectator.[38]

In a series of angry tweets over a series of two days[8] responding to the Mourning in America ad, Trump called the group's founders "losers" and "Republicans in name only".[39] The Lincoln Project's dispute with Trump enhanced its national profile,[29] and the group said it raised $1.4 million after Trump's tweets.[8]

In an interview with MSNBC's Brian Williams, Democratic strategist James Carville praised the group for being more efficient and aggressive than Democratic PACs, saying: "Let me tell you, the Lincoln group and The Bulwark, these Never Trumper Republicans, the Democrats could learn a lot from them. They're mean. They fight hard. And we don't fight like that."[40][41]

Notes
  1. Source transcripts differ slightly on wording.

References
  1. Cummings, William. "George Conway, other conservatives, launch Lincoln Project super PAC to 'defeat Trump'". USA Today. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  2. Peoples, Steve (April 8, 2020). "Biden vs. Trump: General election battle is now set". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  3. Conway, George T. III; Schmidt, Steve; Weaver, John; Wilson, Rick (December 17, 2019). "Opinion | We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  4. Pengelly, Martin (February 28, 2020). "'Right makes might': Lincoln Project takes aim at Trump from Cooper Union". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  5. Jenni Fink (December 17, 2019). "George Conway, other Republicans, declare "we are republicans," announce Lincoln Project to "defeat Trumpism"". Newsweek. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  6. "George Conway, Trump conservative critics launch PAC to fight re-election". NBC News. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  7. Rubin, Jennifer (December 17, 2019). "Opinion | Project Lincoln: Can patriotic Republicans save the country?". The Washington Post.
  8. Michael Warren, Lincoln Project says it raised more than $1.4 million after Trump attacks, CNN (May 7, 2020).
  9. Jennifer Horn On The Republicans Working To Defeat Donald Trump, WGBH (May 6, 2020).
  10. Jarvis, Jacob (May 6, 2020). "The Lincoln Project Will Target Donald Trump's Senate Allies With New Attack Ads". Newsweek. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  11. Yokley, Eli (May 28, 2020). "The Lincoln Project Turns Attention to McConnell in Effort Against GOP Senators". Morning Consult. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  12. Brownstein, Ronald (June 11, 2020). "Why Republicans Still Can't Quit Trump". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  13. "Dedicated Americans Protecting Democracy | The Lincoln Project". Dedicated Americans Protecting Democracy | The Lincoln Project. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  14. "Abraham Lincoln's Cooper Union Address". abrahamlincolnonline.org. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  15. Pengelly, Martin (February 28, 2020). "'Right makes might': Lincoln Project takes aim at Trump from Cooper Union". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  16. Reed Galen, John Weaver, Rick Wilson (February 27, 2020). "The Party of Idolaters". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 16, 2020.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  17. Conway, George T. III; Galen, Reed; Schmidt, Steve; Weaver, John; Wilson, Rick. "Opinion | We've never backed a Democrat for president. But Trump must be defeated". Washington Post. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  18. Costa, Robert; Lee, Michelle Ye Hee (May 28, 2020). "Former Romney strategist Stuart Stevens joins Lincoln Project". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  19. Republicans Defeating Trump: The Lincoln Project, Apple Podcasts.
  20. @ProjectLincoln (June 2, 2020). "We're launching a podcast: Republicans Defeating Trump" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. Jennifer Rubin, Distinguished pols of the week: They may beat Trump all by themselves, Washington Post (June 21, 2020).
  22. Moreno, J. Edward (March 17, 2020). "George Conway's group hits Trump on response to coronavirus". The Hill. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  23. "'Mourning in America': A Conservative Group's Harsh New Political Ad Takes on Trump's Coronavirus Response". Ad Age. May 4, 2020.
  24. "Mourning in America ad TRANSCRIPT: 5/5/20, The Last Word w/ Lawrence O'Donnell". MSNBC. May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  25. Jim Acosta & Fredreka Schouten, Anti-Trump Republican group attacks Trump on race in new ad, CNN (June 1, 2020).
  26. Ed Mazza, Republican Group Rips Trump Supporters' Use of Confederate 'Treason' Flag, HuffPost (June 1, 2020).
  27. Mary Papenfuss, 'A Coward And A Commander’: Attack on Trump by Jim Mattis Stars in Lacerating Ad, HuffPo (June 8, 2020).
  28. New Lincoln Project ad ruthlessly takes aim at yet another Trump soft spot: Crowd sizes, The Week (June 9, 2020).
  29. Tax Axelrod, Lincoln Project takes aim at Trump's health in new advertisement, The Hill (June 17, 2019).
  30. Catherine Garcia, New Lincoln Project ad controversially questions Trump's health, The Week (June 17, 2020).
  31. Andrew Naughtie, 'Something’s wrong with Donald Trump': New ad from Republican group that drove president into a fury questions his health, The Independent (June 17, 2020).
  32. Tim Hains, 'The Lincoln Project' Ad Slams Trump For Juneteenth Tulsa Rally, RealClearPolitics (June 17, 2020).
  33. Rachel Wolf, Republican group says 'China made Trump roll over like a dog' in new ad, Jerusalem Post (June 18, 2020).
  34. James Walker, Lincoln Project Attacks Trump on China After Bolton Book Revelations, Newsweek (June 18, 2020).
  35. Kevin Liptak & Jim Acosta, Anti-Trump Republican group launches new ad attacking President over China policies, CNN (June 17, 2020).
  36. Jay Caruso. "Editorial: The Never Trumpers' dangerous 'Lincon Project'". The Washington Times. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  37. Jay Caruso (January 22, 2020). "The Lincoln Project's foolhardy mission". Washington Examiner. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  38. Lord, Jeffrey. "The Lincoln Project: There They Go Again". The American Spectator. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  39. Warren, Michael; Nobles, Ryan (May 5, 2020). "Trump's grievances with little known group put their attacks in the spotlight". CNN. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  40. "James Carville Praises Group Behind 'Mourning in America' Video Attacking Donald Trump's Response to Coronavirus". PopCulture.
  41. "Carville: Democrats Could Learn A Lot From Never Trump Republicans, "We Don't Fight Like That"". RealClearPolitics. May 6, 2020.
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