During a campaign event in Las Vegas Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris slammed former President Donald Trump over his connections to Project 2025, a plan crafted by a right-wing think tank to dramatically expand presidential powers and restructure the federal government.
Several former Trump administration officials participated in the creation of the 922-page document, which includes a 180-day presidential transition plan to eliminate several federal agencies, replace thousands of government workers with Trump loyalists, a nationwide abortion ban, and the reversal of numerous progressive policies.
“Trump’s advisors have created a 900-page blueprint — called ‘Project 2025’— detailing everything else they plan to do in a second term, including a plan to cut Social Security, repeal our $35 cap on insulin, eliminate the Department of Education and end programs like Head Start,” Harris told a standing audience in a Resorts World ballroom Tuesday.
Trump has attempted to distance himself from the controversial Heritage Foundation project, posting on his social media site last week that he knows “nothing about Project 2025.”
Harris warned voters that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, declaring that presidents have criminal immunity from prosecution for official presidential actions, could expand Trump’s presidential powers during a second-term as outlined in Project 2025. Democrats and allies have described the Supreme Court decision as a setback for democracy that places presidents above the law. Harris echoed those concerns Tuesday.
“Donald Trump has openly vowed if reelected that he’ll be a dictator on day one,” Harris said. “Donald Trump wants to turn our democracy into a dictatorship, and the Supreme Court basically just declared he can get away with it.”
The campaign focus on Project 2025 comes after a disastrous debate performance by Biden last month prompted strong Democratic criticism — including from Rep. Susie Lee — and calls for Biden to drop out of the race. Harris alluded to those criticisms in her Tuesday speech.
“These past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy. But the one thing we know about our president Joe Biden is that he is a fighter, and he’s the first to say when you get knocked down, you get back up again,” Harris said.
During her speech, Harris emphasized the importance of the November presidential election for reproductive rights, an issue proven to mobilize voters. Harris reminded voters that Trump nominated the three conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court who helped overturn abortion protections under Roe v Wade.
“Project 2025 outlines a plan to limit access to contraception and for a nationwide abortion ban with or without a lack of conference,” Harris said.
“Trump has not denied, much less shown remorse, for his actions. Instead, he proudly takes credit for overturning Roe. So make no mistake. If Trump gets the chance, he will sign the national abortion ban that outlaws abortion in every single state,” she added.
The Tuesday event launched a national organizing and engagement program the Biden-Harris administration hopes will mobilize Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander voters ahead of the November general election.
As part of the campaign, Nevada for Biden-Harris purchased digital and print ads in the Las Vegas Chinese Daily News, the Asian Journal, Las Vegas Japan Times, Korean Las Vegas Times, and the Philippine Times of Southern Nevada.
Harris emphasized the Biden administration’s role in increasing the number and amount of Small Business Administration loans to Asian Americans by over one-third and achieving the highest AANHPI employment rate since 2008. Harris also highlighted the Biden administration commitment to reducing anti-Asian hate and violence in the U.S. by signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law, which made it easier for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities to report acts of hate.
“On the other hand, the former president consistently incites hate,” Harris said. “Someone who vilifies immigrants, who promotes xenophobia, someone who stokes hate should never again have the chance to stand behind a microphone and the seal of the president of the United States.”
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