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Project 2025 Director Speaks Out After Abrupt Departure

‘We have to start with the executive branch where the president really is the sole repositor of the executive power’

Published: August 1, 2024
  |   By Adrian Norman
Project 2025 Director Speaks Out After Abrupt Departure

Paul Dans, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, resigned two days ago after a disagreement with former President Donald Trump’s campaign, which has publicly distanced itself from the initiative.


Project 2025 was designed to identify and train thousands of individuals for roles in the next Republican presidential administration to prevent the disarray experienced during the 2016 presidential transition. In recent months, the effort has faced strong criticism from Democrats, who have accused the program of aiming to undermine democracy.


During an interview on War Room broadcast on the day of his resignation, Dans stated that the goal of Project 2025 was simply “to restore our constitutional republic.”


He described the initiative as an effort to re-establish government by, of, and for the people. "We have to start with the executive branch where the president really is the sole repositor of the executive power,” Dans added, arguing that negative media coverage is part of a “great disinformation campaign.”



A particular focus of Democratic concern is a 922-page document titled "Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise," which compiles ideas from hundreds of participants.


Although not a final policy platform, the document states, “the ideas expressed in this volume are not necessarily shared by all.” Nevertheless, given its policy proposals in areas like education, immigration, and cultural issues, many on the left were alarmed.


Some political pundits have suggested that Dans was pushed out due to a feud among insiders with the Trump campaign and Project 2025 over who would have control of staffing a potential new administration.

"Project 2025 was former Trump staffers who wanted to avoid the 2017 personnel problems," lawyer, author, and political commentator Mike Cernovich wrote in a post on X. "Trump’s campaign is managed by a lifelong [George] Bush loyalist who wanted [Texas] AG Paxton in prison, and blamed Trump for J6. Jobs are being promised to Never Trump’ers. Had to push aside 2025."



In a separate post, Cernovich suggested that Chris LaCivita, Trump's 2024 co-campaign manager, is spearheading the effort to implode Project 2025.

"Project 2025 people were around in 2016 and 2020. Loyal to the end. In 2021 Chris LaCivita wanted Trump indicted for treason because of J6. That’s why Chris is pushing out Project 2025 staffers. He’s preparing a coup against Trump,” Cernovich said.



Dans' analysis, however, was solely directed toward overt efforts and opposition from Democrats who sought his ousting and the operation's demise.

“To be clear, this project, why it unnerves them to such an extent is that, you know, the jig is up — we got their number. What [former acting Secretary of Defense Chief of Staff] Kash Patel is talking about there is really the operation of the Deep State. And those of us who are outsiders, you walk into this government and you realize there is a permanent government in Washington. And it works to the exclusion of people listening to this broadcast and all over the country, the salt the earth people who make the world go every day,” he said.


“The reality is that in order to take this back, the swamp isn't gonna drain itself. We need outsiders coming in and committed to doing this,” Dans added.


“And it's not impossible. With Project 2025, we built a pathway to encourage folks to do this,” he continued. “Now to be clear [about] the misinformation, this is not Donald Trump's Project 2025. This was stood up years ago in 2022 as really a coming together of the conservative movement. We brought over 110 groups together. And this is what also rankles the left, is that there's a unified group of conservatives on the right — that we're not, you know, in our kind of sibling rivalry constantly, but we've come together and on important areas.”


Dans also explained that part of the motivation behind the effort was to minimize the number of non-elected staffers within bureaucratic agencies undermining the agenda of duly-elected officials.


“Why should there be a group of folks right below the president who are countermanding and counteracting what the voters just asked for?” he asked. “And that's really the essence of it. So, at the end of the day, the great conceit is that Project 25 is actually here to restore our constitutional republic.”


He added:


And the what what you're seeing from the left is not an assault on Project 2025, it's really “projection 2025.”


Who is the dictator? Who is in charge of these lockdowns? Who forced people to take the jab in order to put bread on their table for their kids. Who are the people who are monitoring and de-platforming people on social media who are criticizing the Ukraine endeavor? Or who are the people who are surveilling Catholics at mass?


You know … those are the folks who are operating in the 1984 environment and Project 2025 is just calling it out.



Editor's Note: The article has been updated to correct two transcription errors

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