Trump Goes From “Never Heard of Project 2025” To Meeting With Its Architect About Cutting Agencies

Donald Trump is once again making headlines for his ties to Project 2025, and this time there’s no denying it. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he’s meeting with Russ Vought, a key figure behind the controversial conservative plan, to determine which federal agencies should be cut and whether those cuts will be permanent. He described many of the agencies as “political scams” and credited Democrats for giving him what he called an “unprecedented opportunity” to reshape government.

The turn of events comes after Trump spent much of his 2024 campaign claiming he didn’t know anything about Project 2025. At the time, he brushed off questions about the plan, saying it had nothing to do with him or his campaign. That denial was seen as a way to avoid alienating moderate voters while still letting his allies push the agenda behind the scenes.

Project 2025, created by the Heritage Foundation, lays out a roadmap for centralizing power in the presidency, cutting back federal agencies, and replacing career staff with loyalists. Critics warn it would weaken democratic checks and balances, while supporters argue it’s about eliminating waste and reining in what they see as an overgrown government.

Now, with Trump openly sitting down with Vought, the same plan he once distanced himself from is suddenly being put into motion. For many, the shift raises questions about whether his campaign denial was strategy all along. What was once a “never heard of it” moment has turned into a clear embrace of Project 2025 and the sweeping changes it promises.