Dark force? Think tank that has the president-elect's ear

From requiring ultrasounds for women seeking abortions to the enforcement of mass deportation policies, the America First Policy Institute has created an extremist platform for the incoming Trump administration, writes Ariana Baio

- Ariana Baio

Donald Trump spent the past few months vehemently denying he or his campaign is closely tied to the Heritage Foundation the right-wing think tank responsible for publishing Project 2025, a controversial list of policy ideas aimed at consolidating executive power.

But there’s another rising influential right-wing think tank that has developed its own extremist platform for the new Trump administration: the America First Policy Institute (AFPI). Founded in 2021 by two former Trump administration officials, AFPI has quietly grown its team, increased revenue and expanded its policy ideas to become an influential force in the Maga world.

AFPI’s plans include requiring ultrasounds for people obtaining abortions (even for medication abortions), making civil servants easier to sack by changing them to at-will employees, and reversing gun control laws – just to name a few.

The organisation’s chair, Linda McMahon, is already an official member of Trump’s presidential transition team – making it even more likely the president-elect will adopt some of its policies in his second term. AFPI’s agenda consists of 10 “pillars” to reshape the executive branch and enact changes that it claims will improve the United States – in a similar but less organised fashion than the 900-page Project 2025.

The Heritage Foundation and AFPI mirror each other’s overall goals and ideas, including: drastic cuts to federal agencies, installing loyalists over qualified individuals, scaling back abortion rights, restricting assistance to allies and more.

Here are the major focus points of the AFPI’s plan that could end up becoming government policy.

The economy

Increasing pressure on the Federal Reserve, isolating the US economy, cutting back government assistance and expanding oil and gas drilling projects are major themes of AFPI’s proposed economic policies.