990-Page Report, One by One Becoming Reality... What Is Trump’s Second Term 'Project 2025'? [Global Focus]

"Don't miss 'Project 2025.' That is the real Donald Trump."

About 110 days before the U.S. presidential election, in mid-July, Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate in Economics and Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York, issued this warning through a contribution to the progressive media outlet The New York Times (NYT). This came shortly after then-candidate Trump distanced himself from Project 2025, which had been embroiled in controversy due to its excessively extreme policies, stating, "I have no knowledge of it," and "It has nothing to do with me."

Now, Professor Krugman's warning is being confirmed in reality. After the winner of the November 5 election was confirmed, major policy proposals contained in Project 2025 have been gradually adopted as policies of the second Trump administration. Among the key appointments announced swiftly for the second administration, there are quite a few co-authors or participants of Project 2025.

President-elect Donald Trump of the United States. Photo by AP Yonhap News

"It has nothing to do with me," claimed Trump... What is Project 2025?

Project 2025 is a policy report drafted under the leadership of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy research institute in the United States. This approximately 990-page report was prepared starting in 2022 in anticipation of Trump's re-election and has been referred to as the 'Trump 2.0 manifesto' among other names.

In particular, it mainly proposes ultra-hardline right-wing policies such as strengthening presidential powers, reducing LGBTQ rights, and large-scale deportation of immigrants, which throughout this election cycle drew harsh criticism from progressives including the Democratic Party as a "threat to democracy." Even Trump, known for his tough rhetoric, distanced himself multiple times during the close election race, fearing the loss of moderate and centrist voters, saying, "I don't agree with some proposals, and some are ridiculous," reflecting the extreme nature of many policies included.

The main points of Project 2025 can be summarized as restricting freedom of expression as stated in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, abolishing gay rights, reducing medical and healthcare services, and concentrating federal government powers in the presidency.

Looking at the section titled ‘Taking the Reins of Government’ at the very beginning, it proposes restructuring a significant portion of the federal workforce, which is mainly composed of career civil servants, to allow for free hiring and firing. This is similar to the ‘Schedule F’ executive order pushed near the end of Trump’s first term, which allowed firing civil servants opposing the administration’s policies at any time. Project 2025 also suggests filling the vacated positions with loyalists to the president.

Regarding federal government restructuring to strengthen presidential powers, it calls for stripping political independence from the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Commerce, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC), placing them under partisan control. It also includes reducing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which had an expanded role under the Democratic Joe Biden administration, and abolishing the Department of Education, a campaign promise of Trump, citing that the federal education department spreads extreme ideologies about gender and race. Trump has long advocated eliminating 'anti-racism education,' and Project 2025 similarly demands ending ‘DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)’ programs, claiming such anti-racism education actually discriminates against white people.

AP Yonhap News

Additionally, Project 2025 includes provisions to restrict the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment by allowing the deployment of federal troops to suppress mass protests. It defines the ideal family as a union between a biological male and female and denies legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It bans oral abortion pills and includes numerous measures for nationwide abortion criminalization, such as prosecuting those who send contraceptives or abortion pills under the 'Comstock Act of 1873,' known as the anti-obscenity law.

Regarding immigration policy, it advocates arresting, detaining, and mass deportation of illegal immigrants, as well as reducing legal visa quotas. It also recommends military deployment for law enforcement during detention and deportation processes. Local media express concern that while deportations of illegal immigrants have continued under the Democratic administration, Project 2025 demonizes immigrants more than anything else. Furthermore, it calls for the reduction or abolition of Obamacare, effectively aiming to nullify almost everything of the Biden administration.

Realization as Major Policies in the Second Term... Authors Join the Cabinet

What is noteworthy is that, contrary to Trump’s earlier distancing, after being confirmed as the election winner, the far-right policies within Project 2025 are materializing as major policies of the next administration. The right-wing think tank America First Policy Institute (AFPI) reportedly prepared about 300 draft executive orders in anticipation of Trump’s second term, many of which align with Project 2025.

Mass deportation of illegal immigrants is a top priority pledge that Trump has promised to implement on his first day in office. Notably, Trump appointed Tom Homan, a participant in Project 2025 and former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the 'border czar,' clearly signaling his commitment to this policy.

Additionally, Trump appointed Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and a close ally, as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the next administration, giving him control over federal government restructuring. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which Musk recently called for abolishing on his platform X (formerly Twitter), was also listed as a target for abolition in Project 2025 due to its 'political' nature. Locally, Musk’s recent explicit mention of troublesome civil servants on X is seen as an intention to fill the government with Trump loyalists.

Russell Vought, former Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The realization of Project 2025 is especially evident in the second-term cabinet appointments. Besides Russell Vought, reappointed as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), key figures involved in Project 2025 include Homan (border czar), John Ratcliffe (Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)), Brendan Carr (Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)), Pete Hoekstra (U.S. Ambassador to Canada), and Stephen Miller (Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at the White House). Notably, Vought, known as a designer of Project 2025, reportedly played a crucial role early in the second term overseeing the list of executive orders that can be swiftly enacted without congressional approval. CNN reported, "Vought wrote the Project 2025 chapter for the department he leads, and Carr did the same."

Alongside them, AFPI-related figures aligned with Project 2025, such as Mike Waltz (White House National Security Advisor), Linda McMahon (Secretary of Education and AFPI board chair), and Brooke Rollins (Secretary of Agriculture and former AFPI CEO), have also been named to the second administration.

Axios analyzed that the core of Project 2025 is not only filling senior positions in the second administration but also staffing the next administration with Trump loyalists, and future appointments will be made based on this criterion. Vox reported, "Project 2025 has already infiltrated Trump’s next administration."