Trump again denies any involvement in Project 2025 during the debate.

 During the pivotal ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday evening, Vice President Kamala Harris criticized former President Donald Trump for his alleged involvement in Project 2025. This 922-page playbook of controversial policy proposals, created by the Heritage Foundation, aims to guide the next conservative administration.

Trump denied any connection to Project 2025, asserting he had "nothing to do with it" and had not read the document, despite it being authored by many former officials from his administration, including cabinet secretaries and West Wing aides. At a Heritage event in April 2022, Trump stated, “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.”

In the debate, Trump reiterated, “I have nothing to do with Project 2025, as she knows better than anyone. I haven't read it and purposely don’t want to read it. It’s not my concern.” He attributed the project to a “group of people that got together,” commenting, “They came up with some ideas—some good, some bad—but it makes no difference. I have nothing to do with it. Everybody knows I’m an open book.”

Linking Trump to Project 2025 has been a central strategy for Harris's campaign, which she has employed multiple times during the debate. Given that polls consistently show the plan’s proposals are unpopular, it’s no surprise that Trump is distancing himself from it once again.