What Trump doesn't want you to know about Project 2025
Donald Trump on June 27, 2024 (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The plan calls for abolishing the Department of Education, imposing a "biblically based” definition of marriage and families, and placing the Justice Department under the control of the president.
by JUDD LEGUM
Project 2025 is a radical blueprint for a potential second Trump administration, spearheaded by the right-wing Heritage Foundation. The plan calls for withdrawing approval for the abortion pill, banning pornography, slashing corporate taxes, abolishing the Department of Education, replacing thousands of experienced federal workers with political appointees, imposing a "biblically based… definition of marriage and families," and placing the Justice Department and other independent agencies under the direct control of the president.
These and other provisions of Project 2025 are quite unpopular. As Project 2025 has gained notoriety — thanks to actor Taraji P. Henson and others — Trump has sought to distance himself from the effort. On July 5, Trump posted on Truth Social that he knows "nothing about Project 2025," has "no idea who is behind it," and has "nothing to do with them."
This is false.
The co-editors of Project 2025, Paul Dans and Steven Groves, both held high-ranking positions in the Trump administration. Under Trump, Dans served as Chief of Staff at the Office of Personnel Management, the agency responsible for staffing the federal government, and was a senior advisor at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Groves served Trump in the White House as Deputy Press Secretary and Assistant Special Counsel.
Project 2025's two associate directors, Spencer Chretien and Troup Hemenway, are also tightly connected with Trump. Chretien was Special Assistant to President Donald J. Trump and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel, "helping to identify, recruit, and place hundreds of political appointees at all levels of government." Previously, Trump appointed Chretien to a position at HUD. Hemenway also served as an Associate Director of Presidential Personnel and previously worked on Trump's 2016 campaign and Trump's 2016 transition team.
Project 2025's 922-page policy agenda has 30 chapters and 34 authors. Twenty-five of Project 2025's authors served as members of the Trump administration. Another Project 2025 author, Stephen Moore, was nominated by Trump to the Federal Reserve but forced to withdraw "over his past inflammatory writings about women." Further, William Walton, the co-author of the chapter on the Department of the Treasury, was a key member of Trump's transition team.
All told, of the 38 people responsible for writing and editing Project 2025, 31 were appointed or nominated to positions in the Trump administration and transition. In other words, while Trump claims he has "nothing to do" with the people who created Project 2025, over 81% had formal roles in his first administration.
The chapter on the Executive Office of the President of the United States, for example, is written by Russ Vought. As president, Trump appointed Vought to his Cabinet as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. In that role, Vought authorized the rerouting of billions from the Pentagon to fund Trump's border wall. In his Project 2025 chapter, Vought — a "self-described Christian nationalist" — calls for the abolishment of the Gender Policy Council, an entity focused on "economic security, health, gender-based violence and education—with a focus on gender equity and equality, and particular attention to the barriers faced by women and girls." Vought is also drafting Project 2025's "playbook" for the first 180 days of a Trump administration, which will not be shared publicly.
Trump appeared at a Mar-a-lago fundraiser for Vought's non-profit group, Center for Renewing America, in August 2022, and declared that Vought would “do a great job in continuing our quest to make America great again.” In addition to his key role in Project 2025, Vought is the policy director Republican National Committee's platform writing committee and a top candidate for White House Chief of Staff if Trump wins in November.
Gene Hamilton, a top aide to Trump Attorney General Jeff Sessions, wrote the Project 2025 chapter on the Department of Justice. During the Trump administration, Hamilton drafted Trump's infamous child separation policy. Hamilton currently serves as Vice-President and General Counsel of America First Legal Foundation, an organization run by top Trump advisor Stephen Miller.
In Hamilton's Project 2025 chapter, he advocates for the deployment of active-duty military to the southern border. Hamilton also calls for an elimination of the Department of Justice's independence from the White House, saying a new Trump administration should "end immediately any policies, investigations, or cases that run contrary to law or Administration policies." (This would presumably include any cases against Trump himself.) He also proposes using the Office of Civil Rights exclusively to prosecute "state and local governments, institutions of higher education, corporations, and any other private employers" who have diversity initiatives.
The Project 2025 chapter on the Agency for International Development was written by Max Primorac, the acting Chief Operating Officer for the same agency under the Trump administration. During a 2019 State Department conference on religious freedom, Primorac generated controversy by promoting Trump's reelection. After Trump lost to Biden in November 2020, Primorac told agency staff not to cooperate with the transition.
In his Project 2025 chapter, Primorac argues against providing international aid to combat hunger and starvation. Primorac says the key to ending poverty is encouraging more oil and gas production. He advocates renaming "the USAID Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) as the USAID Office of Women, Children, and Families" and putting an "unapologetically pro-life politically appointed Senior Coordinator" in charge of the office.
Here is the complete list of the 31 authors and editors of Project 2025 that have formal connections to the Trump administration.
Top members of Trump's 2024 campaign are involved in Project 2025
In addition to a detailed policy agenda, Project 2025 also involves the training and recruitment of political appointees for a potential second Trump administration. One key component of this effort is the "Presidential Administration Academy," which Heritage bills as "a one-of-a-kind educational and skill-building program designed to prepare and equip future political appointees now to be ready on Day One of the next conservative Administration."
Among the program instructors is Karoline Leavitt, the national press secretary for the 2024 Trump campaign and an assistant press secretary during the Trump administration. Leavitt co-teaches a video course on "The Art of Professionalism." She also appears in a promotional video for the academy.
Also appearing in the video is top Trump advisor Stephen Miller. Despite his role in the academy, Miller claims he has "never been involved with Project 2025." Miller's organization, America First Legal, is a member of the Project 2025 advisory board.
The history of Heritage's influence with Trump
Trump's claim that he has "nothing to do" with the people behind Project 2025 is clearly false. But is it possible that Trump will simply ignore Project 2025's recommendations? History tells us that is unlikely.
Prior to the 2016 election, the Heritage Foundation created a similar project called "Mandate for Leadership." The "Mandate for Leadership" contained "334 unique policy recommendations." One year into Trump's term, the Heritage Foundation announced that "64 percent of the policy prescriptions were included in Trump’s budget, implemented through regulatory guidance, or under consideration for action in accordance with The Heritage Foundation’s original proposals."
Seventy Heritage Foundation employees had already joined the administration, and other Heritage officials "briefed administration officials on the recommendations, provided additional insight and information, and advocated for reform."
In October 2017, Trump was the keynote speaker at a Heritage Foundation event, where he praised the organization as "titans in the fight to defend, promote, and preserve our great American heritage." He credited the organization with helping him confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch and "ending the war on beautiful coal." Trump said that he needed "the help of the Heritage Foundation" to advance other priorities, including large tax cuts. He concluded by expressing his "gratitude" to "the dedicated scholars and staff at the Heritage Foundation."
Now, in an effort to win the White House a second time, Trump is playing dumb.