The head of the Heritage Foundation's “Project 2025,” which laid out a vision for a comprehensive reform of the federal government, has resigned, the conservative foundation announced Thursday.
In a statement, the president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, said that the departure of Mr. Paul Dans comes as the project “accomplished exactly what it set out to do: to bring together over 110 leading conservative organizations to create a unified conservative vision, motivated to reduce the power of the unelected administrative state and return it to the people”.
This news came after the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has distanced himself more and more from “Project 2025”, while the attacks from the Democrats have increased. Speculation was thus created that it was former President Donald Trump's electoral team that forced Mr. Dans to leave.
In recent months, Democrats have made “Project 2025” a powerful electoral issue, presenting the ultraconservative plan as an example of how extreme a second Trump administration would be.
The 1,000-page plan lays out sweeping changes to the federal government, including changing regulations to make sure government employees are more loyal to the president.
However, former President Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from this document, saying on social media that he has not read it and has no knowledge of it. During a rally in Michigan earlier this month, he said that “Project 2025” was written by people from the “hard right” and that some of the things in it are “seriously extreme”.
A statement from his campaign advisers, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, said: “President Trump's campaign team has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign team, did not speak for him and that it should not be associated in any way with the campaign or the President. “Announcements of the demise of Project 2025 would be very welcome and should serve as a warning to anyone or any group trying to remove themselves as having influence over President Trump or his electoral team – it will not go well.”
Representatives of former President Trump's electoral team did not respond to questions about whether the electoral team sought or instigated the removal of Mr. Dans from the direction of this project. The Heritage Foundation said Mr. Dans left voluntarily and that there was no pressure from former President Trump's campaign team. Mr. Dans did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Vice President Harris' electoral team said that “Project 2025” continues to be linked to the agenda of former President Trump.
“Hiding 920 pages from the American people doesn't make it any less true. In fact, it should make voters even more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding,” said Ms. Harris' campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
The Project 2025 website will continue to operate, and the group will continue to review the backgrounds of about 20,000 candidates for government positions who would be willing to apply for the group's visit to government, the Heritage Foundation said. Tuesday. The group announced that the operations of “Project 2025” will now be directed by the president of the foundation himself.
