Trump disavows Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, despite MAGA ties

• Trump's disavowal comes two days after Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts drew outrage from Democrats with his comments about a "second American Revolution" on Steve Bannon's radio show.
• "[W]e are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be," Roberts said, declaring that "the radical left" was "apoplectic" because "our side is winning."

What they're saying: "I know nothing about Project 2025," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

• "I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them."

Reality check: A plethora of former Trump administration officials have worked on and endorsed Project 2025.

• John McEntee, former director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office and one of Trump's most trusted aides, is a senior adviser for the project.
• McEntee said in April that the Trump campaign and Project 2025 plan to "integrate a lot of our work" this summer, according to the liberal watchdog Media Matters.

Project 2025 responded to Trump's comments on X: "As we've been saying for more than two years now, Project 2025 does not speak for any candidate or campaign."

• "We are a coalition of more than 110 conservative groups advocating policy & personnel recommendations for the next conservative president."
• "But it is ultimately up to that president, who we believe will be President Trump, to decide which recommendations to implement."

The other side: "Project 2025 is the extreme policy and personnel playbook for Trump's second term that should scare the hell out of the American people," Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa said in a statement to Axios.

• "Project 2025 staff and leadership routinely tout their connections to Trump's team, and are the same people leading the RNC policy platform and Trump's debate prep, campaign, and inner circle."

Behind the scenes: We're told Trump hated the credit Project 2025 got, and campaign aides found the coverage confusing. The campaign has its own detailed policy plans, Agenda47.

• Axios scooped last week that the Biden campaign planned to use the CNN debate to launch a new offensive against the Heritage Foundation's plans to transform the U.S. government.
• Moussa pointed out on X Friday that Trump's main super PAC, MAGA Inc., is running ads promoting a website called "Trump Project 2025."
• A source familiar with the website tells Axios the term "Project 2025" was used to capture search traffic inspired by Democratic ads. The site doesn't link to or promote Heritage's project, and instead contrasts Trump and Biden policies.

How it works: Project 2025 is an effort to concentrate the president's control over the executive branch to override checks that otherwise could restrain his power.

• A key tenet of the project is "Schedule F," an executive order that would allow the president to strip thousands of federal employees of employment protections, fire them and replace them with ideological loyalists.
• Late in his previous administration, Trump signed an executive order creating a Schedule F job classification, which could apply to as many as 50,000 federal workers.

Zoom in: Since the order was signed in October 2020, the Trump administration didn't have time to fully implement it, and the Biden administration rescinded it before it could go into effect.

• The Biden administration finalized a rule earlier this year that strengthens existing protections for civil servants and to slow efforts to undermine them.
• However, Trump has promised to reimplement Schedule F "on day one" of his administration.

Between the lines: The Trump campaign has said it welcomes outsiders' efforts to collect and vet resumes for a potential second term. But the campaign itself never embraced Project 2025's 922-page policy handbook.

What they're saying: Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, co-managers of the Trump campaign, have issued several statements distancing Trump from such outside efforts.

• "Despite our being crystal clear, some 'allies' haven't gotten the hint, and the media, in their anti-Trump zeal, has been all-to-willing to continue using anonymous sourcing and speculation about a second Trump administration in an effort to prevent a second Trump administration," a December statement said.

Axios has reached out to the Heritage Foundation and Trump campaign for comment.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details and a new headline.