The conservative Heritage Foundation, which is organizing the
project, confirmed that Paul Dans was stepping down, but did not
provide a reason for his departure.
On Tuesday, Trump's co-campaign managers, Chris LaCivita and
Susie Wiles, said they would welcome the "demise" of Project
2025, although the group had not ended its work.
"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," they said in a
statement.
Trump and his aides have frequently complained that Project 2025
is misrepresenting itself as an official policymaking arm of his
campaign. For their part, Democrats have made a concerted effort
to raise awareness of the project among voters and turn it into
a symbol of the hard-right political shift they say would occur
if Trump wins in November.
That criticism has led to public blowback and a political
headache for Trump. The former president is set to face off
against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5
election.
At its heart, Project 2025 is a series of detailed policy
proposals put together by hundreds of high-profile conservatives
that the project's participants hope Trump adopts if elected.
Trump agrees with many, but not all, of the policies supported
by the project, which include curbing the Justice Department's
independence and eliminating the Department of Education.
Participants in the project have also assembled lists of
thousands of conservatives that could be slotted into
politically appointed positions throughout the government in the
opening days of a Trump administration.
Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, said
Project 2025's work would continue. The group's policy drafting
operations would conclude after the Democratic National
Convention in late August, as previously planned, he said in a
statement.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Ross Colvin and Stephen
Coates)
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