The Lincoln Project

REPUBLICANS AGAINST TRUMP AND TRUMPISM

Zoë Wallace

Head of Political and Global Impacts

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Secretary and Outreach Officer

What is The Lincoln Project?

The Lincoln Project is a group of Republicans who stand against President Trump. Their main goal is to avoid his re-election in the 2020 campaign. Their mission is not to promote the democratic party, because their “many policy differences with national Democrats remain” (lincolnproject.us). “However,” as their website states, “the priority for all patriotic Americans must be a shared fidelity to the Constitution and a commitment to defeat those candidates who have abandoned their constitutional oaths, regardless of party. Electing Democrats who support the Constitution over Republicans who do not is a worthy effort.”

The Lincoln Project finds its inspiration in President Abraham Lincoln, who lead the Union in the war against the Confederacy and, by extension, slavery. Once the Confederacy showed signs of defeat, Lincoln switched his focus to the process of reuniting the fractured country. The Lincoln Project argues that the country is presently extremely divided due to Trumpism. They argue that Trump supporters in positions of power have abandoned the authority of the constitution in favor of blindly following their leader, which is a danger to democracy no matter what side Trump happens to represent. 

What does the Lincoln Project do?

The Lincoln Project airs advertisements on news outlets in swing states. Most notably, they pay for advertisements on Fox News, a channel that is known for being sympathetic to Donald Trump. Their goal is to draw on certain issues that most Republicans would normally support and stand behind, and then show that Trump is not exemplifying these values. 

For example, Republican voters are known for their respect and support of American troops. In multiple ad campaigns, symbols and images of the military are used to stir up a sense of patriotism. Then, this patriotism is used as a weapon against Trump, arguing that he does not feel the same respect for American troops, and he is not a real patriot. Most recently, they released a video exposing Trump’s prior knowledge of the Russian government paying a bounty for killing American soldiers in Afghanistan, in which a prior Navy SEAL voiced his opinion against Trump. 

Some advertisements focus on portraying Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, as the best choice in the election. Although the founders of the Lincoln Project do not align themselves with most of Biden’s views, they believe that the only way to save the country is to let Biden win, as Donald Trump does not truly exemplify the Republican values they support. They argue that Donald Trump is a common enemy of both the Democrats and Republicans, and no matter Biden’s platform, both parties should vote for him to save the United States. 

What are some examples of their work?

On December 16, 2019, The Lincoln Project published their first article in the New York Times, explaining their mission and goals. This article was titled “We are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated,” which is relatively self-explanatory. 

When Trump was impeached on December 19th, a statement was released encouraging senators to put the country above partisanship and to do what is best for the Constitution. Soon after The Lincoln Project began to achieve momentum, Steve Bannon, former campaign manager and White House chief strategist, stated that he was worried about the Project’s possible impacts on the 2020 election. The Lincoln Project used this as a confirmation of their threat to the Trump administration, and argued that “[t]he fight against Trumpism can be won. And now even they’re admitting it.”

The first video released by the Lincoln Project highlighted the hypocrisy of the Trump administration in regards to their faith-based beliefs. The video drew on the emotional connection between many Republicans and their religious beliefs, and used these sentiments to turn them against Trump, since he was not exemplifying true religious values. The video is entitled “MAGA Church” and the link is here. The advertisement uses powerful words in order to get their point across: “If this [Donald Trump] is the best American Christians can do? Then God help us all.”

On January 13th, the second video was released, which proved that The Lincoln Project was not only dedicated to stopping Trump’s re-election, but also the election of anyone who was not upholding the values of the Constitution. The Project accused Cory Gardner, a Colorado Senator, of fighting for Trump instead of fighting for the people of his state and country. They attacked his low status in the polls for his re-election campaign and ended their statement with the powerful message that “The Lincoln Project is working to defeat Donald Trump and those candidates who have abandoned their constitutional oaths, regardless of party.”

Since then, whenever Trumpism obscures the voice of the Constitution, The Lincoln Project can be counted on to release a video attacking this action in order to restore honor and dignity to the “true” Republican party. They have focused on topics ranging from the death toll of the coronavirus in the United States to the introduction of a coalition of “Republicans and Independents for Biden.” Their most prominent message is encouraging Democrats and Republicans alike to put the good of the country ahead of political partisanship. In these trying times, working together to uphold the values of our country is more important than ever, and The Lincoln Project has made it clear that they will stop at nothing to make sure that Donald Trump is not sworn in next January.

How far reaching is the influence of The Lincoln Project?

As mentioned earlier, Bannon and other Trump supporters have recognized this Project as a threat, which demonstrates its possible power in the next election. On twitter, @ProjectLincoln has over one million followers, and on YouTube, The Lincoln Project has 225,000 subscribers. The ad campaigns that characterize their campaign are funded through donations from supporters of the project, and if you would like to make a donation, the link is: https://secure.anedot.com/the-lincoln-project/donate. 

Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent voter, the Lincoln Project stands against Trump, and through their ad campaigns they can influence the outcome of the 2020 election. The ultimate message of The Lincoln Project is that now is the time to let go of our party lines and choose to be on the right side of history and defend the United States against Trumpism.

Sources:

“Dedicated Americans Protecting Democracy: The Lincoln Project.” Dedicated Americans Protecting Democracy | The Lincoln Project, lincolnproject.us/.

Morris, Sam, and Francisco Navas. “The Latest Major Trump Resignations and Firings.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2018/jul/05/donald-trump-firings-resignations-white-house-full-list-latest. 

Image: “The Problem With The Lincoln Project.” Daily Kos, www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/6/26/1956086/-The-Problem-With-The-Lincoln-Project.