Donald Trump has recently distanced himself from “Project 2025,” a blueprint for a potential second Trump administration created by the conservative Heritage Foundation. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed, “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it.”
Project 2025 will destroy America.
⁰⁰
Look it up. We made it easy for you: https://t.co/GFccEpzfUs pic.twitter.com/jNW94z0e0Y— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 10, 2024
However, this statement appears to be false, as many of Trump’s former administration officials have played significant roles in developing the project.
Donald Trump is trying to hide his extreme Project 2025 agenda.
The only problem? It was written for him—by those closest to him.
Go to https://t.co/KqFlfotjDF to learn more. pic.twitter.com/Ke4qHkVY8o
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 8, 2024
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s current campaign press secretary, even contributed to Project 2025 but is now forced to publicly denounce the initiative. The project’s core agenda includes contributions from 27 individuals associated with Trump, such as Ben Carson, Christopher Miller, and Peter Navarro. This indicates a close alignment between the Trump campaign and the Heritage Foundation’s initiatives, despite public denials.
Project 2025 is the Trump Manifesto
It's staffed by former Trump officials
It's connected to his cabinet, former campaign advisers, political appointees
It lays groundwork for a national abortion ban, defunding law enforcement, empowering Big Oil, and silencing his opponents
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 9, 2024
John McEntee, a former director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, admitted that while there has been no direct coordination, Project 2025 will likely “integrate a lot of our work with them” once Trump assembles an official transition team.
Project’s controversial political dynamics
The controversy seems to stem from the perception that someone else could influence Trump’s presidency, rather than the policies themselves.
These policies include radical ideas such as eliminating the Education Department and placing the president directly in charge of the FBI and the Justice Department. Project 2025 aims to codify “Trumpism” to ensure its survival beyond Trump’s potential second term. The initiative is divided into a personnel database and a policy proposal series titled “Mandate for Leadership,” which Heritage has produced for Republican candidates since Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
The current effort aims to identify 20,000 loyal officials by the end of the year, significantly boosting the project’s scale and ambition. Despite Trump’s public disapproval, his inner circle believes he will eventually find Project 2025’s personnel database particularly enticing. This recruitment effort by Heritage could lead to significant changes in the U.S. government that last well beyond a second Trump term.
While Trump publicly distances himself from Project 2025, the initiative remains deeply entwined with his campaign’s strategic underpinnings and may shape the next four years if he succeeds in his re-election bid.
