A video shared on Threads claims Florida Republican Sen. and Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio said President-elect Donald Trump’s presidency will “lean heavily into Project 2025.”
Verdict: False
The original video, shared on both C-SPAN and YouTube, features Rubio and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee delivering remarks on tax reform at the Heritage Foundation in April 2015. At no point is Project 2025 mentioned.
Fact Check:
Rubio said Chinese hacking of U.S. telecommunications companies is a “very serious situation that we face” during a Nov. 3 appearance on “Face The Nation,” according to CBS News. Rubio also labeled an October cyberattack linked to Chinese hackers as “an egregious, outrageous and dangerous breach of our telecommunications systems across multiple companies,” the outlet reported.
The video, which has garnered over 500 likes as of writing, claims Rubio said Trump’s presidency will “lean heavily into Project 2025.”
“BREAKING: Donald Trump just announced that Senator Marco Rubio will be his Secretary of State. Here is Rubio admitting the Trump Presidency will lean heavily into the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 plans. Retweet so every American sees this clip,” the video’s caption reads.
In the video, Rubio thanks the Heritage Foundation for inviting him to speak at a public event. Rubio also praises the foundation for its scholarship, which he says “serves a guidepost for a lot of the public policy we choose to make.” The Heritage Foundation has been linked to Project 2025.
The claim is false. A comment shared on the video indicates the clip is from 2016, meaning it predates Project 2025.
“This clip is 8 years old. Project 2025 would not exist for another 6 years after this clip. Is it concerning to hear Republicans say they listen to the Heritage Foundation? Yes, but that’s not new information and this clip has absolutely nothing to do with Project 2025,” the comment reads.
Likewise, the original video can be traced to C-SPAN and features Rubio and Lee delivering remarks on tax reform at the Heritage Foundation in April 2015. The video has also been shared on YouTube with Rubio’s remarks beginning at the 8:39-minute mark. At no point does Rubio reference Project 2025.
In addition, Rubio does not appear to have publicly referenced the claim via his website or his verified social media accounts. The Heritage Foundation does not appear to have commented on the Threads post, either. (RELATED: Did The Secretary General Of NATO Threaten To Expel The United States?)
Furthermore, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Nov. 12, PolitiFact debunked the claim, citing the same video from C-SPAN. According to the outlet, Project 2025 was not published until April 2023.
Check Your Fact has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment.