During Tuesday evening’s consequential ABC News presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris criticized former President Donald Trump for what she says is his involvement in Project 2025, a 922-page playbook of controversial policy proposals put together by the Heritage Foundation intended to guide the next conservative administration.
Trump denied involvement in Project 2025, saying he had “nothing to do with it” and that he has not read it, despite the playbook being authored by dozens of former members of his administration, including former cabinet secretaries and West Wing aides. Speaking at a Heritage event in April 2022, Trump said: “This is a great group and they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do… when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump attend a presidential debate in Philadelphia, Sept. 10, 2024.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
In the debate, Trump said, “I have nothing to do as she knows better than anyone, I have nothing to do with Project 2025. That is out there. I have not read it. I don’t want to read it, purposely. I’m not going to read it,” he said.
He attributed Project 2025 to a “group of people that got together.”
“They came up with some ideas, I guess, some good, some bad,” he said. “But it makes no difference. I have nothing to do. Everybody knows I’m an open book.”
Tying Trump to Project 2025 has been a big part of the Harris campaign strategy, and she’s already done so a few times during this debate. Polls have consistently shown the plan and its proposals are widely unpopular, so it’s no surprise that Trump is disavowing it yet again.
During a recent presidential debate, Donald Trump denied any involvement in Project 2025, a controversial government initiative that has been the subject of much speculation and conspiracy theories in recent months. The project, which reportedly aims to drastically reshape the United States by the year 2025, has been shrouded in secrecy and has sparked fears among many Americans about the future of their country.
When asked about his alleged involvement in Project 2025 during the debate, Trump vehemently denied any knowledge of the project and dismissed it as a baseless conspiracy theory. “I have no idea what Project 2025 is, and I have never been involved in any such initiative,” Trump stated emphatically.
Despite Trump’s denial, many Americans remain skeptical of his claims, citing his history of involvement in controversial projects and his close ties to powerful figures in government and business. Some have even suggested that Trump may be deliberately misleading the public in order to cover up his true involvement in Project 2025.
The debate over Project 2025 has only intensified in recent weeks, with more and more people demanding transparency and accountability from the government. Many are calling for a full investigation into the project and for those responsible to be held accountable for any potential wrongdoing.
As the controversy surrounding Project 2025 continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether Trump’s denial will be enough to quell the growing concerns of the American public. With the presidential election just around the corner, voters will have to decide for themselves whether they believe Trump’s claims of innocence or if they suspect a deeper conspiracy at play.
