Project 2025: What is it? Who is behind it? How is it connected to Trump?

A set of conservative policy proposals known as Project 2025 has become a lightning rod for opponents of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as they seek to highlight what they say are the dangers of him retaking the White House.

Trump has recently tried to distance himself from Project 2025, even though many of his closest policy advisers are deeply involved. The campaign of Democratic President Joe Biden says the project is proof that Trump would adopt a series of authoritarian and hard-right policies if elected.

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 if elected. Those proposals are laid out in a roughly 900-page book.

Participants in the project are also assembling lists of thousands of conservatives that could be slotted into politically appointed positions throughout the government in the opening days of a Trump administration. Behind the scenes, the project's affiliates are drafting executive orders and agency regulations that could be used to quickly implement the policies that the project is advocating once Trump takes office.