WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump has named several high-profile conservatives associated with “Project 2025” to his administration despite repeatedly distancing himself from the hard-right initiative on the campaign trail.
His selections have refocused public attention on the project, which played a significant role in the 2024 presidential campaign.
WHAT IS PROJECT 2025?
At its heart, Project 2025 is a series of detailed policy proposals put together by hundreds of high-profile conservatives that the project’s participants hope Trump adopts in office. Those proposals are laid out in a roughly 900-page book.
Participants in the project also assembled lists of thousands of conservatives that could be slotted into politically appointed positions throughout the government in the opening days of Trump’s administration. Behind the scenes, the project’s affiliates drafted executive orders and agency regulations that could be used to quickly implement the policies that the project is advocating once Trump takes office.
IS IT CONNECTED TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION?
Yes and no.
The project, a collaboration of dozens of conservative organizations, is overseen by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank. The group is independent of Trump, a fact Project 2025 and Trump himself have emphasized.
But in practice, many of Trump’s closest policy advisers and some of those who are taking high-ranking positions in his administration are heavily involved.
For instance, Russ Vought, Trump’s incoming Office of Management and Budget director, has played a major role in Project 2025. He helped draft executive orders that would undermine civil service protections and make it easier for Trump to fire thousands of federal employees, according to sources with knowledge of the project’s internal workings.
Other incoming administration officials who worked on the project include Tom Homan, Trump’s incoming border czar; Brendan Carr, Trump’s choice for chair of the Federal Communications Commission; and John Ratcliffe, Trump’s CIA director-designate.
WHAT ARE THE PROJECT’S MAIN PROPOSALS?
Project 2025’s policy suggestions range in topic from foreign affairs to education.
Among other things, Project 2025 proposes enforcing laws that make it illegal to mail abortion pills over state lines, criminalizing pornography and eliminating the Department of Education.
The project also advocates a sweeping elimination of environmental regulations and a crackdown on programs to boost diversity in the workplace, which the project argues are broadly illegal.
The project also calls for a broad expansion in presidential power by boosting the number of political appointees and increasing the president’s authority over the Justice Department. That last proposal has spooked many law enforcement officials, who say it will undermine the department’s ability to conduct investigations without political interference.
DOES TRUMP AGREE WITH THE PROJECT’S PROPOSALS?
Trump appears to agree with many – but not all – proposals.
Though he has endorsed various proposals that are central to Project 2025, like giving himself the power to radically expand the number of political appointees in government and eliminating the Department of Education, he disagrees with other proposals, like putting restrictions on abortion pills.
WHY HAS PROJECT 2025 GOTTEN SO MUCH ATTENTION?
Project 2025 first entered the public consciousness in large part due to a concerted effort by Democrats during the election to raise awareness of the initiative among voters.
Trump’s selection of former aides involved in Project 2025 to serve in his new administration has brought renewed attention to the project.
The Trump transition effort, in turn, has continued to emphasize that the project’s proposals were developed separately from Trump’s official policy platform.
“President Trump never had anything to do with Project 2025,” Karoline Leavitt, a transition spokesperson, said in a statement to Reuters.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery, editing by Ross Colvin, Rosalba O’Brien and Jonathan Oatis)
