Conservative Operative Paul Dans Quits As Head Of Controversial Project 2025 After It Becomes Political Lightning Rod

Conservative political operative Paul Dans stepped down as the director of the Heritage Foundation’s controversial initiative, Project 2025.

The initiative is focused on aiding the former president in the possible transformation of the federal government if he wins the 2024 presidential election. The campaign forced Dans out of his job as it sought political cover from a controversy hounding conservatives.

The manifesto gained widespread criticism in recent weeks over its extremist proposals that would demand fealty from federal workers, as well as promote Christian nationalism, further restrict abortion, abandon climate-change initiatives and restructure the departments of Justice and Defense.

In an email to colleagues, Dans confirmed that he would be stepping down from his role at Heritage Foundation, stating that he was leaving in August to focus his energy on “winning bigly” for conservative candidates this election cycle.

Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, announced in a statement that the former director of Project 2025 will be departing after leading the transition initiative for the past two years. 

Roberts also thanked Dans for his work on Project 2025.

“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,” he stated on X. “This tool was built for any future administration to use.”

“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,” he added.

“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,” Heritage’s president stated. “We are extremely grateful for his and everyone’s work on Project 2025 and dedication to saving America. Project 2025 will continue our efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels—federal, state, and local. I look forward to leading this team to continued success.”

Dans emailed Project 2025 staff to say that the initiative’s work is “presently winding down,” and he will leave Heritage in August. 

“With Project 2025, we have accomplished a great deal and are close to finishing what we started, which was to create a unified conservative vision, bringing together over 110 leading organizations, united behind the cause of deconstructing the administrative state,” he stated.

A Project 2025 advisory board member mentioned that the initiative’s work might continue, adding it had been a “natural progression of the project” to submit its work, including a database of possible hires and a list of policy recommendations for the first six months of a potential second Trump term, to the 45th U.S. president’s campaign for review.

“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 — it will not end well for you,” Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, senior advisers to the former president, stated.

Dans’ departure hinted that Heritage had been shutting down its work on the initiative over a year after Project 2025 produced its cornerstone 900-page policy mandate.

The former president said he was unaware of the agenda and labeled some of its plans as “abysmal,” but many experts who contributed to it served in his administration.

In early July, the former president sought to distance himself from Project 2025 despite having close connections to the initiative. He stated on social media that he knows “nothing about Project 2024” and has “no idea who is behind it.”