During a speech at the U.S. border in Arizona on Thursday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump vehemently denied any connection to the controversial conservative plan known as Project 2025, which aims to drastically reshape the country if he is re-elected.
Trump took the opportunity to criticize Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who had warned about the project during his speech at the Democratic National Convention earlier in the week. “He’s a horrible governor,” Trump said of Walz. “He signed a bill fairly recently where boys’ bathrooms have to have tampons, tampons in boys’ bathrooms.”
Trump expressed reluctance to discuss the topic but insisted it was necessary for people to know. “I don’t even like to bring this subject up, but it’s a subject you have to hear about,” he said. “He’s a radical left guy who lied like hell last night, and [Kamala Harris will] lie tonight.”
Trump also announced that he would be doing a live “review” of Harris’ nomination speech on his Truth Social platform, promising to provide his own commentary on her remarks. “They made up everything, so many different stories,” Trump said, referring to the allegations connecting him to Project 2025. “They’ve been told officially, legally, in every way that we have nothing to do with Project 25.”
Despite his denial, Trump criticized his opponents for continuing to bring up the issue. “They know it, but they bring it up anyway,” he added. “They bring up every single thing that you can bring up. Every one of them was false.”
However, a CNN investigation found that at least 140 people who had worked for Trump were involved in Project 2025, casting doubt on his claims of no involvement. The project has been a point of contention as Democrats warn it could lead to significant changes in government policies and institutions if Trump is re-elected.
As the 2024 presidential race intensifies, Trump’s defense against these allegations and his attacks on Democratic leaders like Walz and Harris highlight the deep divisions and contentious issues that are likely to dominate the campaign trail.