Despite repeatedly distancing himself from Project 2025 while on the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated one of the conservative blueprint’s major authors to lead a key post in his administration.

Trump announced on social media that he’s tapping Russell Vought, who served as the Office of Management and Budget director during his first term, to once again head up the department. In a post on his social media site, Trump described him as “an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies” and praised him as someone who “knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government.”

Vought’s selection comes even as Trump repeatedly dismissed his campaign’s associations with Project 2025, an agenda assembled by a conservative think tank in preparation for a Republican’s return to the White House. 

“I know nothing about Project 2025,” Trump claimed in July, even though Vought and several other members of his first administration were involved in the plan’s creation. “I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”

Still, Democrats aggressively tied Trump to the initiative throughout the presidential campaign, repeatedly bringing out a comically oversized copy of it on stage during the Democratic National Convention in August. Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris also made mentioning it a regular fixture of her rallies.

Project 2025 is largely focused on centralising governmental authority within the presidency and infusing it with conservative Christian views about family life, reproductive health and LGBTQ+ rights. The plan also recommends imposing sweeping changes to immigration policy, eliminating the Department of Education and gutting environmental regulations.

Vought, whose Center for Renewing America organisation is on the Project 2025 advisory board, wrote a section of the document focused on management of the executive office. 

Over the summer, Vought was secretly recorded by a nonprofit saying Trump had “blessed” Vought’s organisation and was “very supportive of what we do.” He said his group was working to create “shadow” agencies for Trump and secretly drafting hundreds of executive orders and regulations for Trump to implement if he won the presidency.

His organisation has also said “Christian nationalism” is a priority for a future Trump administration, according to documents obtained by Politico.