The director of Project 2025, the right-wing policy blueprint and personnel project prepared for the next Republican president that became a political cudgel used by Democrats, is departing after the effort drew criticism from former President Donald J. Trump.
The project, which has been a collaborative effort across the conservative ecosystem led by the Heritage Foundation, has become a lightning rod on the 2024 campaign trail. The group had spent months developing an expansive set of policies, and the president of the Heritage Foundation said on Tuesday it was concluding its drafting of new ideas as planned.
“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,” Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, said in a statement.
Mr. Trump has tried to distance him from the specifics inside the 900-page plan for months, saying the sweeping agenda to reshape the federal government is not his, though many of the proposals were crafted by people who served in the first Trump administration.
President Biden, and now Vice President Kamala Harris, have repeatedly used some of the less popular planks to attack Mr. Trump. Ms. Harris brings up Project 2025 during almost every campaign stop. At a fund-raiser this weekend, she described it as “a plan that would return America to a very dark past.”
“And, by the way, can you believe they put that thing in writing?” she said to laughter from the audience. “Nine hundred pages of it!”
The Trump team, which has grown increasingly frustrated by the coverage of Project 2025’s plans, cheered its apparent end on Tuesday. The Daily Beast first reported the departure of the project’s director, Paul Dans.
“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,” said Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, Mr. Trump’s top two advisers, in a statement.
Ms. Wiles and Mr. LaCivita added 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.”
The departure of Mr. Dans was confirmed by Heritage Foundation. Mr. Dans could not immediately be reached for comment.
“Under Paul Dans’ leadership, Project 2025 has completed exactly what it set out to do: bringing together over 110 leading conservative organizations to create a unified conservative vision, motivated to devolve power from the unelected administrative state, and returning it to the people,” Mr. Roberts said. “This tool was built for any future administration to use.”
He added, “Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels — federal, state, and local — will continue.”
That clearinghouse of conservative personnel who could fill out the executive branch is expected to be crucial for Mr. Trump, should he return to the White House.
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