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Despite distancing himself from the Project 2025 policy blueprint during his campaign, President Donald Trump has welcomed some of its most prominent contributors into his administration. The conservative roadmap, designed to reshape the federal government, has closely mirrored Trump’s early efforts to slash agencies, cut funding, and consolidate executive power.
As the administration settles into office, key authors of Project 2025 now hold influential positions across the White House, regulatory agencies, and budget offices, driving a conservative transformation of the federal government.
Russell Vought: The Architect of Executive Overhaul
Russell Vought, a principal author of Project 2025 and former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director under Trump, has returned to lead the agency once again. In his Project 2025 chapter, Vought outlined an ambitious vision to reshape the federal workforce, calling for the boldness to “bend or break bureaucracy to the presidential will.”
In a recent memo to the heads of OMB and the Office of Personnel Management, Vought and OPM Director Charles Ezell directed agencies to prepare for mass layoffs. The federal government, they argued, is “costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt,” claiming that tax dollars are wasted on programs that benefit “radical interest groups” at the expense of hard-working Americans.
Peter Navarro: Trade Hardliner Returns
Peter Navarro, a longtime Trump ally and vocal critic of China, has been appointed senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. In Project 2025, Navarro outlined an aggressive strategy to impose tariffs on China, the European Union, and India while advocating for a TikTok ban and holding Beijing accountable for COVID-19.
Trump has already taken steps in line with Navarro’s vision, slapping tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico last week—moves that have raised fears of a trade war. However, in a notable departure from Project 2025, Trump delayed the federal TikTok ban that was set to take effect.
Navarro’s appointment has sparked controversy, given his four-month prison sentence last year for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 investigation.
Brendan Carr and Adam Candeub: Reshaping Big Tech and Antitrust
Brendan Carr, a staunch conservative and longtime Federal Communications Commission (FCC) member, now chairs the agency. In Project 2025, Carr called for rolling back “wasteful spending” and intensifying scrutiny of Big Tech. Since assuming leadership in January, he has launched probes into telecom giants like Verizon and Comcast for alleged discrimination—part of a broader Republican push against corporate influence.
Adam Candeub, newly appointed FCC general counsel, has been a vocal advocate for a broader approach to antitrust enforcement. His Project 2025 contribution urged regulators to move beyond economic competition and consider how dominant firms impact free speech and democratic institutions. Candeub, who previously served in the Trump administration, has long pushed for stronger action against social media companies over alleged anti-conservative bias.
Project 2025’s Growing Influence in the Trump Administration
Beyond these high-profile appointments, several other contributors to Project 2025 have taken key positions:
- Tom Homan, now serving as border czar, was credited in the policy blueprint for his hardline immigration stances.
- Brian J. Cavanaugh, a homeland security expert, has taken a senior role at OMB.
- James Baehr, general counsel for the Department of Veterans Affairs, was also involved in the Project 2025framework.
- Paul Atkins, now chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, contributed to Project 2025’s financial regulatory policies.
- Stephen Billy, a senior OMB adviser, played a role in Vought’s vision for overhauling the executive branch.
A Conservative Vision in Action
While Trump disavowed Project 2025 during his campaign, the deep integration of its contributors into his administration suggests that its vision is shaping key policy moves. From sweeping government layoffs to trade battles and Big Tech scrutiny, the early months of Trump’s presidency indicate that the Project 2025 blueprint is becoming reality—whether officially acknowledged or not.
