U.S. PROJECT 2025: POLICIES FOR TRUMP'S PROBABLE NEXT TERM

If Donald Trump wins in the 2024 elections, if personnel appointments are sound, and if there is coherence of policy coordination, his agenda could have far-reaching consequences

- PS RAGHAVAN

AS the US Presidential election campaigns heat up, 'Project 2025' gets frequent mention. A 900-plus page document, its full title is, 'Mandate for leadership: Project 2025. Penned by senior officials of the first Trump Administration, it outlines a policy and personnel agenda for his second term (if elected).

The mandate declares the US Congress has abdicated its decision-making responsibilities to unelected bureaucrats, who exercise unchecked policy-making power, even evading the control of the president.

Recognising that much of the chaos of Trump's presidency—staff turnovers, policy flip-flops, dissents and leaks-was caused by ideologically incompatible personnel in his administration, the project's coordinators launched a nation-wide search for suitable candidates. Short-listed applicants underwent training on structures and issues of governance. A database of a few thousand candidates will be presented to the presidential team in November for the selection of federal employees.

The mandate's uncompromising stand against abortion has drawn criticism; its position against immigration is popular. It advocates incentivising preservation of the nuclear family, de-emphasising transgender and LGBTQ issues, and outlawing pornography in speech, print and digital products. DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) policies (affirmative action without quotas) should be reversed; they suppress merit and dilute efficiencies.

The economic agenda comprises progrowth policies that create jobs, spur investment and increase wages: expanding the manufacturing base through industrial policy, pursuing self-reliance in strategically important sectors, promoting fair and balanced trade, and replacing "environmental extremism" with energy dominance.