As President Donald Trump's second term unfolds, the once-maligned Project 2025 has emerged from the shadows, its detailed conservative agenda now visibly guiding administration moves. Crafted by the Heritage Foundation and a coalition of over 100 organizations, this 900-plus-page blueprint outlines a radical overhaul of the federal government, from dismantling agencies to reshaping policies on everything from abortion to environmental regulations. What started as a pre-election wish list for a Republican presidency has, in recent months, shown uncanny alignment with Trump's executive actions.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly disavowed any ties to Project 2025, calling it extreme and distancing himself from its architects. However, that narrative shifted dramatically post-election. By early 2025, he began nominating key figures from the project to top posts, including Russ Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget—a role central to executing its fiscal and regulatory visions. Indeed, Trump has since met openly with Vought and others, signaling a clear pivot. Moreover, trackers monitoring implementation reveal that nearly two-thirds of Trump's early executive orders echo or partially match proposals from the document, such as efforts to curb federal workforce protections and advance energy deregulation.
Independent observers, like those compiling online trackers, paint a stark picture of progress. After just 100 days, dozens of initiatives aligned with Project 2025's goals, from immigration crackdowns to education reforms that sideline the Department of Education. Six months in, the administration has reportedly advanced about halfway toward the blueprint's 317 core objectives, including rollbacks on climate policies and public health safeguards. These moves, packed with appointees who penned sections of the plan, underscore a seamless integration. Yet, critics highlight the speed, warning of rushed implementations that bypass broader scrutiny.
However, not all elements have landed smoothly; resistance from Congress and legal challenges have slowed some pushes. Still, the tracker's updates suggest an accelerating pace, particularly amid recent government shutdown talks where Trump invoked Project 2025-inspired cuts to "Democrat agencies." As these policies embed deeper into governance, one can't help but wonder how far this institutionalizing of Trumpism will reshape American democracy in the years ahead.