Project 2025 has become increasingly unpopular and politically toxic as more people learn about it. This has prompted the Trump and Vance campaign to distance themselves from the initiative. Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller now claims he had no involvement with Project 2025, despite being featured in a promotional video. Additionally, two conservative groups, including a national anti-abortion organization, have quietly withdrawn their support from the controversial 900-page manifesto.
America First Legal Foundation, led by Miller, was one of the first organizations to disassociate from the Project 2025 advisory board. The organization had been part of Project 2025 since at least June 2022, but recently asked to be removed from the advisory board webpage.
The staff of America First Legal played a significant role in crafting the Project 2025 playbook. Vice president and general counsel Gene Hamilton authored a chapter proposing criminalizing mailing abortion pills. Other America First attorneys also contributed to the initiative.
Americans United for Life and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, both part of the Project 2025 coalition, have recently removed their names from the advisory board. The reasons for their departure remain unclear.
Both organizations joined Project 2025 in February 2024, several months after the playbook was released. Americans United for Life emphasized their non-partisan stance and thanked J.D. Vance for his contributions to the pro-life movement. The Mackinac Center cited differences in endorsed ideas and scope as reasons for their withdrawal.
The Heritage Foundation, the driving force behind Project 2025, did not comment on these departures from the initiative.
