Trump campaign’s Project 2025 bashing irks conservative loyalists

The Trump campaign’s intense pushback to Project 2025 amid sustained attacks from Democrats is frustrating conservatives inside and outside the effort who worry that the disavowal will result in the former president alienating his most loyal supporters.

It was one thing for Trump to separate himself amid Democratic messaging centering on the Heritage Foundation-led project’s policy blueprint, which sometimes differs from that of the former president and was intended to kick-start a transition to a conservative White House. 

But the extremely public criticism, with one recent statement from the Trump campaign cheering the potential demise of Project 2025, is prompting concern about potential damage to Trump’s relationship with the conservative ecosystem that supports him – as well as how it could inadvertently fuel more Democratic messaging centered on Project 2025.