What Is Project 2025? How It Started And What Next For The Heritage Foundation’s Plan

For the past year, Project 2025 has remained a significant factor in the presidential election, with Democrats using its far-right agenda to illustrate what Donald Trump might do in a second term. Despite Trump’s campaign distancing itself from the project—Trump himself has claimed to know “nothing” about it—the Heritage Foundation’s extensive plan to overhaul the federal workforce and dismantle agencies aligns with Trump’s vision. Key figures behind Project 2025 are former members of Trump’s administration, and Heritage officials have briefed Trump’s team on the project.

Project 2025 has shown the unexpected staying power of policy discussions in shaping election narratives, impacting not only Trump but also down-ballot Republicans. It has evolved into more than just a policy guide for the next administration; it also serves as a database of about 20,000 individuals who could potentially staff a Trump White House, along with an unreleased “180-day playbook” outlining actions a new president could take from Day One in January 2025.

The Origins of Project 2025

Launched in April 2023, Project 2025 aimed to “dismantle the administrative state” by presenting both personnel and policies as a roadmap for a future conservative president. Former Trump administration officials involved in the project wanted to avoid the mistakes of Trump’s first term by ensuring that the next Republican president would be equipped with the right team and policies to implement campaign promises. According to Paul Dans, director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, they were determined to hit the ground running.

The Heritage Foundation, a well-established conservative think tank, spearheaded the project, drawing inspiration from its Reagan-era “Mandate for Leadership.” More than 100 conservative groups, many with ties to the Trump administration, collaborated to propose a broad restructuring of the federal government. These proposals included placing more political appointees in the Justice Department, assigning law enforcement officers to handle immigration issues, and dismantling the Department of Education.

One of the main proposals seeks to make it easier to install Trump loyalists in government positions by reclassifying 50,000 workers into roles where they could be more easily fired—a revival of Trump’s earlier “Schedule F” policy, which had aimed to weaken what conservatives refer to as the “deep state.”

Public Reception

The Heritage Foundation rolled out Project 2025 during its 50th-anniversary celebration, which also marked a debut for Kevin Roberts, who had previously been associated with Trump rival Ron DeSantis. Roberts declared that the conservative movement was uniting to prepare for the next conservative administration and that Heritage aimed to ensure the future president would have the necessary policy framework and personnel to dismantle the administrative state.

President Joe Biden’s campaign had raised alarms about it early on, with posts on social media warning of its implications. In June, House Democrats formed a task force to amplify concerns about the project, and comedian John Oliver mocked it on his HBO show. Despite these efforts, it wasn’t until Biden’s underwhelming performance in a June debate with Trump that it gained viral traction. Biden’s failure to mention the project disappointed allies who had hoped for a more forceful critique. Subsequently, social media posts about it surged, with one thread gaining nearly 20 million views. Celebrities and young creators on platforms like TikTok voiced their concerns about the project’s potential impact on civil and reproductive rights, helping it gain significant visibility.

By the end of June, Google searches for “Project 2025” outpaced searches for Taylor Swift and the NFL, according to Democratic campaign. By the time the project was mocked at the Democratic National Convention, it had become a target for ridicule, with conservatives blaming it for damaging Trump’s electoral prospects.

Trump’s Response to Project 2025

Although Trump’s campaign never endorsed Project 2025 and even distanced itself from it, other conservative groups aligned with Trump were also preparing for a potential second term. Trump’s team repeatedly cautioned Heritage to downplay its association with his campaign.

Trump publicly rejected Project 2025 shortly thereafter, stating that he had no knowledge of the project or its contributors. He expressed disagreement with some of its ideas and reiterated that he had no involvement in the effort. Around this time, Trump was unveiling his own policy agenda ahead of the Republican National Convention, drafted by figures like Russ Vought, a former administration official who had also contributed to Project 2025.

The Heritage Foundation parted ways with Paul Dans, the lead architect of Project 2025, by the end of the month, a move that reportedly pleased Trump’s team. Trump’s campaign issued a statement warning that any individual or group misrepresenting their influence with Trump would face consequences.

The Future of Project 2025

As the races for control of Congress tighten, Project 2025 has become a focal point for Democratic-aligned groups aiming to link Republican candidates to its hardline policies. The House Accountability Project, for instance, has created websites connecting more than a dozen House Republicans in competitive races to proposals from Project 2025, highlighting their voting records on issues such as abortion and government spending.

House Republicans, however, argue that the attacks are a distraction orchestrated by Democrats to deflect from their own policies on issues like border security and inflation.

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