Leader of Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 resigns
His departure doesn't indicate the project is ending.
TroibNews 
Paul Dans, director of the Heritage Foundation’s contentious 2025 Presidential Transition Project, also known as Project 2025, is set to step down from his position in August, as announced in an internal email to staff.
Despite Dans’ departure, the project will not be discontinued. Project 2025, which includes policy and personnel recommendations for a Republican administration, will proceed according to an anonymous insider. The source emphasized that the objective was to complete the work by the Republican National Convention, which concluded in mid-July.
Dans communicated his decision in an email shared with POLITICO, reflecting on the project's completion: “Friends and patriots: to every thing there is a season. We completed what we set out to do, which was to create a unified conservative vision, bringing together over 110 leading organizations united behind the cause of deconstructing the administrative state.”
Dans continued, “This tool was built for any administration dedicated to conservative ideals to utilize. The work of the project was due to wrap with the nominating conventions of the political parties. Our work is presently winding down, and I planned later in August to leave Heritage. Electoral season is upon us, and I want to direct all my efforts to winning bigly.”
The Daily Beast was the first to report on Dans’ departure.
Although many individuals involved in Project 2025 are former top officials from his administration, Trump has publicly distanced himself from the project. He stated on Truth Social in July, "I have not seen it, have no idea who is in charge of it, and, unlike our very well received Republican Platform, had nothing to do with it.”
Trump and his campaign team have viewed Project 2025 as a distraction, objecting to its portrayal as a blueprint for a potential Trump administration. Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, senior advisers to Trump’s campaign, reiterated this stance: “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.”
They added, “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.”
Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, shared insights on the timeline via a tweet: “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. Paul, who built the project from scratch and bravely led this endeavor over the past two years, will be departing the team and moving up to the front where the fight remains.”
Roberts expressed gratitude: “We are extremely grateful for his and everyone's work on Project 2025 and dedication to saving America. Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels—federal, state, and local—will continue.”
There is also a notable connection to Trump’s campaign through Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who wrote the foreword for an upcoming book about Project 2025 by Roberts, titled "Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America."
Before his role at Project 2025, Dans served as the chief of staff for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and as the OPM’s White House liaison, collaborating with the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.
Democrats have openly criticized Project 2025, including its 900-page policy road map and a candidate database for potential Trump administration jobs. They argue that the initiative outlines how Trump would reshape the government if reelected, labeling it “extreme” and “dystopian.”
In a statement, Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez asserted, “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.”
A former Trump administration official familiar with Project 2025 commented, “This just seems like a normal thing as the project kind of winds down and the actual transition begins.”
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
Despite Dans’ departure, the project will not be discontinued. Project 2025, which includes policy and personnel recommendations for a Republican administration, will proceed according to an anonymous insider. The source emphasized that the objective was to complete the work by the Republican National Convention, which concluded in mid-July.
Dans communicated his decision in an email shared with POLITICO, reflecting on the project's completion: “Friends and patriots: to every thing there is a season. We completed what we set out to do, which was to create a unified conservative vision, bringing together over 110 leading organizations united behind the cause of deconstructing the administrative state.”
Dans continued, “This tool was built for any administration dedicated to conservative ideals to utilize. The work of the project was due to wrap with the nominating conventions of the political parties. Our work is presently winding down, and I planned later in August to leave Heritage. Electoral season is upon us, and I want to direct all my efforts to winning bigly.”
The Daily Beast was the first to report on Dans’ departure.
Although many individuals involved in Project 2025 are former top officials from his administration, Trump has publicly distanced himself from the project. He stated on Truth Social in July, "I have not seen it, have no idea who is in charge of it, and, unlike our very well received Republican Platform, had nothing to do with it.”
Trump and his campaign team have viewed Project 2025 as a distraction, objecting to its portrayal as a blueprint for a potential Trump administration. Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, senior advisers to Trump’s campaign, reiterated this stance: “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.”
They added, “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.”
Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, shared insights on the timeline via a tweet: “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. Paul, who built the project from scratch and bravely led this endeavor over the past two years, will be departing the team and moving up to the front where the fight remains.”
Roberts expressed gratitude: “We are extremely grateful for his and everyone's work on Project 2025 and dedication to saving America. Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels—federal, state, and local—will continue.”
There is also a notable connection to Trump’s campaign through Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who wrote the foreword for an upcoming book about Project 2025 by Roberts, titled "Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America."
Before his role at Project 2025, Dans served as the chief of staff for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and as the OPM’s White House liaison, collaborating with the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.
Democrats have openly criticized Project 2025, including its 900-page policy road map and a candidate database for potential Trump administration jobs. They argue that the initiative outlines how Trump would reshape the government if reelected, labeling it “extreme” and “dystopian.”
In a statement, Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez asserted, “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.”
A former Trump administration official familiar with Project 2025 commented, “This just seems like a normal thing as the project kind of winds down and the actual transition begins.”
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
