Paul Dans, the director of the controversial presidential transition plan known as Project 2025, has stepped down from his role at The Heritage Foundation, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts confirmed in astatement.
Roberts made it clear that, despite Dans’ departure, the political goals of the right-wing manifesto remain very much alive.
“When we began Project 2025 in April 2022, we set a timeline for the project to conclude its policy drafting after the two party conventions this year, and we are sticking to that timeline,” Roberts said in the statement Tuesday.
“Project 2025 will continue our efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels — federal, state, and local. I look forward to leading this team to continued success.”
“This tool was built for any future administration to use,” he added.
Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has attempted to distance himself from the roadmap as it’s morphed into a massive political liability. But as HuffPost’s S.V. Date explained earlier this month, the document is deeply intertwined with Trump and Trump’s advisers.
More than half of the document’s authors are former Trump White House advisers or current campaign aides. His campaign press secretary features in a Project 2025 ad. And Trump himself praised The Heritage Foundation’s efforts at a dinner in April 2022.
“This is a great group,” Trump said at the time, “and they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do and what your movement will do when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America.”
Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, also praised and wrote the foreword for an upcoming book penned by Roberts.
(Readers may recall Roberts saying in an interview that “we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless ― if the left allows it to be.”)
Paul Dans, then director of Project 2025 at the Heritage Foundation, speaks at the National Religious Broadcasters convention on Feb. 22 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Despite those ties, the Trump campaign claimed Tuesday to have nothing to do with the transition project.
“President Trump’s campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way,” the campaign said in an emailed statement.
“Reports of Project 2025’s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you.”
In a statement, Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign said Project 2025 “isn’t going anywhere” despite Dans’ departure.
“Project 2025 is on the ballot because Donald Trump is on the ballot. This is his agenda, written by his allies, for Donald Trump to inflict on our country,” campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
“Hiding the 920-page blueprint from the American people doesn’t make it less real — in fact, it should make voters more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding.”
Among other proposals, the sweeping plan calls for: purging tens of thousands of civil servants from the federal government and replacing them with political appointees; basing government social services on “biblical” values; weakening environmental protections (including ending climate change research); getting rid of the Departments of Education and Homeland Security; passing massive tax cuts; and severely limiting abortion access.
