President Donald Trump's campaign issued an ominous statement after the leader of The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 resigned.
Dr. Kevin Roberts, President, The Heritage Foundation I have written In a statement on Tuesday, Project 2025 leader Paul Dans said he was stepping down and would “take a role on the front lines as the fight continues.” The Trump campaign, which has distanced itself from the campaign in recent weeks, reiterated that the project is not connected to the president and issued warnings going forward.
“The report of Project 2025's demise is very welcome and should serve as a warning to any individuals or groups attempting to misrepresent their influence on President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you,” Trump campaign senior advisers Suzie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a statement.
but, report While he noted that the change in leadership could be a “signal” for the end of Project 2025, a source familiar with the matter told The Daily Caller that the effort continues and is preparing for its “next phase.”
Despite the infighting of recent weeks, sources familiar with the situation told The Daily Caller that Project 2025 staffers were under the impression that both sides had a clear path forward before Tuesday's news broke. They didn't think the campaign statement made the situation any better, adding that it was “disappointing.”
NEWS: Project 2025 director Paul Dans has resigned from the Heritage Foundation amid pressure from Trump campaign leaders and a power struggle over personnel management in the second Trump administration, internal emails show, suggesting Project 2025 is likely to close. Story by TK.
— Roger Sollenberger (@SollenbergerRC) July 30, 2024
On July 5, Trump, through a Truth Social post, for the first time distanced himself from Heritage's Project 2025, a policy brief and personnel list created to support the next Republican president. Trump claimed he knew nothing about the project or who was running it, sparking speculation in the media about a sudden rift between the two parties. For weeks, the Biden campaign had been running a message that “Trump's Project 2025” linked the former president to the effort.
“It was Paul's intention to walk away from the project after the convention,” Mike McKenna, who worked on Project 2025 and in the Trump administration, told the Caller.
“I've seen the statement and I'm sure the campaign is grateful for all the efforts that have been made and are still being made to support Mr. Trump. I'm sure the campaign is equally concerned about being questioned and held accountable for things the candidate did not say,” McKenna continued.
Under Paul Dans’ leadership, Project 2025 has achieved exactly what it set out to do: bring together over 110 leading conservative organisations to forge a unified conservative vision to devolve power from the unelected administrative state and return it to…
— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) July 30, 2024
When Trump first distanced himself from the plan, the former president said some of Project 2025's proposals were “totally ridiculous and terrible.” The Truth Social post came in response to Roberts' comments on Steve Bannon's War Room, in which Roberts said the country was in the midst of a second American Revolutionary War and “there would be no bloodshed if the left allowed it.” The interview was then spread by the Biden campaign, who claimed Roberts was calling for violence. The Hill report. (RELATED: Exclusive: Heritage chairman reveals Trump-Project 2025 ties amid media frenzy)
“I have a strong personal relationship with President Trump and I think that will continue to be the case. Project 2025 is fundamentally a reflection of the entire conservative movement,” Roberts told Caller at the Republican National Convention, adding that he didn't tell Trump about the comments at the time. “This is in no way intended to speak for the presidential campaign. We wish President Trump continued great campaigning. In fact, it's very important for the purpose of his campaign and for those of us who lead nonprofits to be reminded of this distance.”
Roberts also told the Caller that Project 2025 was not meant to represent or be tied to a political campaign. He said Project 2025 was meant to serve as a “restaurant menu” for the next administration to make policy and personnel choices.
“Great ideas and great people always rise to the top, and President Trump is one of the greatest CEOs in modern history, both as president and in business,” Roberts told the Caller. “For us at Heritage, Project 2025 is about doing the same thing we've been doing for over 50 years: bringing together talent and putting together policy.”
“We know who makes the decisions. President Trump is the boss. Not only do we not mind it, we bless it,” Roberts previously told The Caller.
Despite the apparent rift between the two parties, Harris' campaign continued to link Trump to the initiative in a statement following Danz's report.
“Make no mistake: Project 2025 is Donald Trump's agenda,” a press release from the Harris campaign said.
