Heritage leader admits to ‘tactical error’ after Project 2025 backlash
Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, admitted his organization made a “tactical error” in not addressing the backlash soon enough after Project 2025 was brought to light.
“We made a tactical error in not responding in the first six weeks to their total mischaracterizations,” Roberts said Monday on Bloomberg Radio. “That’s on us, but ultimately, the mischaracterizations are on the radical left. That’s a tactical lesson that we’ve learned, and we’ll never repeat that.”
Roberts went on to say that despite those mischaracterizations of Project 2025 and the backlash the policy ideas have received, it is not something to be ashamed of.
“In fact, quite the opposite. We’re very proud of it,” he said. “Having said that, it is very much designed, as all of our other previous projects have been designed, which is to be of service.”
Paul Dans, the director of Project 2025, stepped down after the project received a lot of backlash. Democrats made Project 2025 central to their campaign messaging and attacks on Republicans and former President Trump.
The project includes a 900-page far-right policy blueprint intended to guide the next conservative administration. On the campaign trail, Trump sought to distance himself from Project 2025. Now that he’s won, concerns are growing that he will use some, if not all, of the ideas.
Still, Roberts said the policy was focused on “common sense solutions” to Americans’ problems.
“We wanted to insert substantive policy conversations into the political season,” he said. “We did not anticipate that the radical left, which couldn’t run on its record because it’s terrible, would actually use that as the boogeyman and succeed in doing that.”
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