Philadelphia, United States
As US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced-off each other in a historic debate on Tuesday (Sep 10), the Democratic presidential candidate Harris slammed Trump for his involvement in "Project 2025".
The 922-page controversial policy proposals emerged as a topic of contention between the two political rivals, with Trump once again denying knowledge or involvement in the drafting of the document.
But what is Project 2025? Here's everything you need to know:
Project 2025
The over 900-page document has been around since early 2023. In recent months, the campaign teams of Biden and now Harris have made concerted efforts to raise awareness about the document. They are turning it into a symbol of the hard-right political shift that another term of the Trump government may bring.
Also read | Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris debate: What to expect from the historic presidential debate
Project 2025 is a sweeping blueprint published by a hard-right think tank and seeks to remake the federal government in Trump's image, reports AFP.
The project is a collaboration of dozens of conservative organisations, overseen by the Heritage Foundation, which is independent of the Trump campaign — a fact both Project 2025 and Trump have emphasised.
It has been characterised as an authoritarian, right-wing wish list by critics and proof that Trump would adopt such policies if elected.
Biden himself has commented, "Project 2025 will destroy America."
The 'Project 2025' as per Reuters advocates expanding presidential powers, making mailing abortion pills over state lines illegal, criminalising pornography, eliminating the Department of Education, eliminating environmental regulations and cracking down on programmes to boost diversity in the workplace.
It calls for a makeover of almost every function of the US federal government, to centralise power in the White House while pushing right-wing policies on topics ranging from abortion to immigration.
Trump's Involvement in Project 2025
During the debate against Kamala Harris, Trump once again attempted to distance himself from the hard-right Project 2025. This is even though some of his closest policy advisers and those likely to take high-ranking positions in his administration — if Trump wins — are heavily involved in the project.
In July and in August, Trump on Truth Social said he has "nothing to do" with it.
"I have not seen it, have no idea who is in charge of it, and, unlike our very well-received Republican Platform, had nothing to do with it," posted the former US president.
Despite his denial of involvement, many of his remarks at rallies and his video statement on his Agenda 47 website are indistinguishable from many of the extreme proposals listed in Project 25 handbooks. An example of this is how the plan envisages mass deportation of undocumented migrants — a pledge Trump has made at his many rallies and something he even mentioned during the ABC News debate on Tuesday (Sep 10).
(With inputs from agencies)