How Paul Dans and Project 2025 Expose the Deep Rift Between Trump and His Base
Paul Dans is the face of what’s wrong with the way Trump has been handling things lately. This guy was all-in from the beginning, one of those true believers who saw something in Trump that nobody else did back in 2016. You know, back when Trump was the outsider, the guy who was supposed to drain the swamp, take on the establishment, and give power back to the people.
He was there when Trump’s 2016 campaign caught fire, describing it as something uniquely passionate, saying, "There was no passion [in other campaigns]. We were hungry for a candidate who could really speak to Americans. … Donald Trump delivered."
But even though Dans was a true believer, he struggled at first to find his place in Trump’s administration after the victory. The word was that he was too "America First"-y, too much of a Trumpist, for some of the establishment folks who were still hanging around. This wasn’t just a cushy job he was after. He wanted to be part of the movement that was going to change Washington. Eventually, he did land a role, but it wasn’t a high-profile one. Dans became a senior adviser in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Community Planning and Development. This role gave him a front-row seat to how the federal government really worked—or didn’t work—and confirmed what he already suspected: the deep state and establishment were real obstacles to Trump’s agenda.
Fast forward to after Trump left office. Dans didn’t just pack up and go home. Instead, he got to work on something big—Project 2025. This wasn’t just a minor project; it was a massive plan laid out at the Heritage Foundation, starting back in January 2023, with a group of about 15 people who spent three days building the blueprint for what a real conservative government would look like. Project 2025 wasn’t just about vague ideas. It was built on four solid pillars: an 887-page policy plan, a massive database of conservatives ready to serve, training seminars for those new appointees, and a battle plan for each federal agency.
As director of Project 2025, Dans wasn’t just filling a role—he was shaping the future of the conservative movement. He brought with him a wealth of experience, aiming to ensure that the next Republican administration wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Dans was determined to see Trump’s original agenda realized through the careful planning and execution of this project. The plan even included reinstating Schedule F, a proposal that would shift as many as 50,000 career employees into a new category, making them easier to fire. Dans had big ideas for this, envisioning a “conservative LinkedIn,” a database with more than 10,000 names of loyal Trump supporters ready to jump into federal roles. He sketched out how this database would work, right down to how it would show each candidate’s progress on training sessions and any “red flags” from the vetting process.
Trump made a point of distancing himself from Project 2025, going as far as to dismiss it publicly. This wasn’t just a casual remark—it was a calculated effort to separate his campaign from a project that was once aligned with his own agenda. Trump’s rejection was particularly jarring given how closely the project mirrored the policies that fueled his rise in 2016. Trump’s sudden disavowal was a deliberate move to distance himself from the very project that was supposed to secure his conservative agenda.
And what’s even more frustrating is that we have proof Trump knew about Project 2025. Kevin Roberts, the President of the Heritage Foundation, confirmed that he personally briefed Trump on the project before April 2024, saying, "I have personally talked to President Trump about Project 2025… because my role in the project has been to make sure that all of the candidates who have responded to our offer for a briefing on Project 2025 get one from me." Yet, despite this direct communication, Trump suddenly acted as if he knew nothing about it when the Democrats started making noise. It’s clear this wasn’t some mix-up or miscommunication. Trump’s sudden disavowal was a deliberate move to distance himself from the very project that was supposed to secure his conservative agenda.
Dans wasn’t just another political operative; he was a true patriot, someone who believed deeply in the MAGAh movement and committed himself fully to its success. His dedication wasn’t motivated by personal gain but by a sincere belief that Trump’s populist message could change the country. He’s the guy who was supposed to be making sure that a second Trump administration wouldn’t be another mess of bad hires and establishment hacks. But instead, he’s out, and Trump’s surrounding himself with people who couldn’t care less about what got him elected. It’s baffling why Trump would pay attention to someone like RFK Jr., who has shifted from being a Democrat to cozying up to Trump’s circle, instead of relying on people like Dans who have a deep understanding of what the MAGAh base truly cares about.
And let’s talk about how Trump’s campaign is shifting away from the issues that originally got him elected. Chris LaCivita, one of Trump’s top advisors, recently said that "the issues that are going to win us this campaign are not the issues that they want to talk about." What issues is he talking about? The ones Dans and Project 2025 were pushing—immigration, trade, taking on the deep state—those are the same issues that resonated with voters in 2016. But now, it seems Trump’s campaign thinks they need to move in a different direction, leaving the very base that made him who he is out in the cold.
So, here we are, with a Trump campaign that’s drifting further and further away from the populist roots that made it successful. Dans’ time in the Trump administration exposed him to the inner workings of the federal government, where he witnessed firsthand the entrenched power of the deep state and the establishment. These weren’t just abstract concepts—Dans saw how these forces actively worked to undermine the very agenda Trump was elected to implement. Trump should be leading the charge, taking on the establishment, not cozying up to it.
It’s hard not to feel some empathy for Trump. He’s done a lot for this country, and he’s faced more opposition than any president in recent history. But that doesn’t excuse what’s happening now. Trump, who once led a populist revolution, seems to have lost his way. The man who promised to drain the swamp now appears disconnected from the very movement he started. If Trump doesn’t reconnect with the principles that fueled his initial success, the movement may very well continue without him. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but that’s where we are.
