Project 2025 ex-director denounces Heritage president’s ‘violent rhetoric’
Project 2025, a deeply, outrageously conservative attempt to erase vast amounts of the U.S. government, has come under scrutiny for comments made by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation. Last month, former head of Project 2025 Paul Dans criticized Roberts over what he has called ‘violent rhetoric’ which has ‘badly acclimatized’ the project. Many have been offended by Roberts’ statements in a podcast and say they’ve given weight to the Project 2025 summary downgrade after former President Donald Trump publicly disavowed the 2025 plan.
Part of the backlash against Project 2025 was in response to Roberts’ language, and a big reason for it was Dan’s resignation as dean in July. Dans sent an email to Roberts asking that the media blarney he could do to the project and its writers be avoided. Dans told me that JD Vance’s running mate had also urged him to withdraw the foreword to Roberts’ soon to be published book that had undertones of aggression.
Roberts’ Remarks and Project 2025’s Policy Blueprint
Heritage Foundation design and is the parent organization of Project 2025, a hefty 922-page conservative policy manifesto that calls for major changes to U.S. government governance along the lines of a reduced federal bureaucracy and less restraint on reproductive rights. But Roberts’ podcast remarks prompted further discussion and other critics seized on them to highlight more radical recommendations of the project. There are many involved in Project 2025 — including Dans — who are former Trump administration officials, and presided over Trump’s public disavowal of the crown.
Roberts, head of a top think tank, ought to be spreading light but instead has cast a shadow over the work of those involved in Project 2025, Dans said, expressing disappointment. Dawn’s Early Light, advertised previously as Burning Down Washington to Save America, is the title of Roberts’ forthcoming book which has been changed to avoid the intense criticism served it upfront in the wake of its cover.
JD Vance’s Connection to Project 2025 and Trump’s Position
Trump’s campaign is trying to distance itself from Project 2025’s controversy, with JD Vance’s support of Roberts being a challenge. In its foreword, Vance demanded a strong response by conservatives with the language of “load the muskets,” which has been criticized as combative. A spokesperson for Roberts, Noah Weinrich, defended Roberts’ comments, calling them a response to leftward threats that were misinterpreted as calls for violence.
Although Trump claims to know nothing about the project, his campaign has downgraded the 2025 project’s role in its agenda, pushing other policy goals to the front burner. Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, campaign officials, were able to sideline the project, Dans said, a move that may influence Trump’s campaign efforts against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Conclusion
The debate over Project 2025 is largely an internal one in conservative circles as they try to strategize for the 2024 presidential election. Although Project 2025 is the vision of a fully developed conservative agenda, the controversy that arose from Roberts’ comments highlights the issues of the conservatives’ messages and the unlikelihood of unity among the factions. While the Project 2025 advocates and its critics engage in constant voting influence, the direction in which the government is being led continues to be a stepping stone.
