The leader of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 resigned amid relentless criticism of the program from former President Trump and ongoing efforts by Democrats to link the project to the Trump campaign.
Heritage touted it as a blueprint for a future Republican administration to restructure many parts of the U.S. government. Project 2025The project, also known as the Presidential Transition Project, will begin in April 2022 and is not affiliated with the Trump campaign.
With Biden’s campaign focused at the time, Trump called the plan “totally ridiculous and terrible,” pointing to a 900-page conservative plan aimed at alienating voters from a second Trump administration.
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Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, addresses delegates at the 2023 National Conservatism Conference in London on May 16, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Heritage president Kevin Roberts released a statement Monday confirming that the project’s leader, Paul Dans, was stepping down.
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Former President Trump called Project 2025 “totally ridiculous and terrible.” (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
“Under Paul Dans’ leadership, Project 2025 has accomplished exactly what it set out to do – bring together more than 110 leading conservative organizations to forge a unified conservative vision to shift power away from the unelected administrative state and return it to the people. This tool has been built for future administrations to use,” Roberts said.
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Former President Trump (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“When we launched Project 2025 in April 2022, we set a timeline to complete draft policy after this year’s bipartisan conventions, and we are sticking to that timeline. Paul, who built this project from the ground up and has courageously led this effort for the past two years, is leaving his team and being promoted to the front lines where the fight continues,” he continued.
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“We are incredibly grateful for his and everyone’s work on Project 2025 and their dedication to saving America. Our joint efforts to build a workforce for policymakers at all levels, federal, state and local, will continue,” he said.
The Trump campaign responded to the news, saying, “Reporting on the demise of Project 2025 will be very welcome.”
“President Trump’s campaign has made it clear for over a year that Project 2025 has no affiliation with the campaign, does not represent the campaign, and should not be associated in any way with the campaign or the president,” the campaign said. “The report of Project 2025’s demise is very much welcome and should serve as a warning to anyone or group who seeks to misrepresent their influence over President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you.”
