You've probably seen the headlines. For months, the internet has been a wildfire of "Project 2025" memes, panicked threads, and late-night talk show segments. It’s kinda wild how a 900-page policy document from a think tank—something usually about as exciting as a toaster manual—became the center of the American political universe. But honestly, the relationship between the Heritage Foundation and Trump is way more complicated than a simple "boss and employee" dynamic.
People talk about them like they're a monolith. They aren't.
During the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump famously claimed he knew "nothing" about Project 2025. He even called some of their ideas "abysmal." Fast forward to early 2026, and the reality on the ground in Washington D.C. looks a lot different. While Trump likes to be his own man, the fingerprints of Heritage are all over the current administration’s playbook. It’s not a secret conspiracy; it’s a decades-long partnership that has hits, misses, and a whole lot of "it's complicated."
The Heritage Foundation and Trump: A Marriage of Convenience?
To understand what’s happening today, you gotta look back. Heritage isn’t new to this. They’ve been writing their "Mandate for Leadership" since the Reagan era. Back in 1981, Reagan’s team reportedly handed out copies at their first cabinet meeting. When Trump first showed up in 2016, he didn’t have a massive policy shop. He was an outsider. Heritage stepped in to fill that vacuum.
By the end of his first year, Heritage was bragging that Trump had embraced 64% of their recommendations.
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But the 2024 cycle changed the vibe. Kevin Roberts, the current president of Heritage, took a much more aggressive stance than his predecessors. He started talking about a "Second American Revolution" that would remain bloodless "if the left allows it." That kind of talk made the Trump campaign nervous. They didn't want the baggage. Trump’s top advisors, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, basically told Heritage to back off.
Why the "Distancing" Was Sorta Fake
Despite the public spats, the overlap in personnel is massive. We’re talking about at least 140 people who worked in the first Trump administration who also had a hand in writing Project 2025. You can’t just flip a switch and say those connections don't exist.
Take Russell Vought, for example. He was Trump’s OMB Director and a huge architect of the Heritage plan. Now that we’re in 2026, Vought is back in a key role. When the guy writing the plan is also the guy implementing the plan, the "I don't know them" defense starts to feel a bit thin.
What’s Actually Being Implemented in 2026?
So, is the Heritage Foundation and Trump alliance actually checking off the boxes? Mostly, yeah. But not exactly how the "Mandate" envisioned it.
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- The "Deep State" Purge: One of the biggest Heritage goals was "Schedule F." Basically, this would turn thousands of career civil servants into political appointees who can be fired at will. Trump signed an executive order to kickstart this early in 2025. It’s been a legal mess, but the intent is 100% aligned with the Heritage vision.
- Energy and Environment: Trump’s "drill, baby, drill" mantra is basically a summary of Heritage’s energy chapter. We’ve seen a massive roll-back of EPA regulations and a push to exit international climate agreements again.
- Public Lands: A report from the Center for Western Priorities recently noted that the administration is moving "in lockstep" with Heritage on public land use. This means more logging, more mining, and fewer "sacrifice zones" for conservation.
The Friction Points
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Heritage is a deeply ideological, often "traditional values" focused group. Trump is more of a populist.
On things like Social Security, Heritage has pushed for raising the retirement age. Trump knows that’s political suicide. He’s largely ignored them there. On trade, Heritage traditionally likes free markets. Trump loves tariffs. The 2026 trade wars have actually caused some quiet grumbling within the halls of Heritage because they think it hurts the economy.
The Personnel Power Move
"Personnel is policy." That’s the old saying Heritage loves.
The most effective part of their plan wasn't actually the 900-page book. It was the "LinkedIn for Conservatives" database they built. They vetted thousands of loyalists so that Trump wouldn't have to rely on "the establishment" this time around. This is why the 2026 administration feels much more organized—and some would say more radical—than the 2017 version. There’s less internal "resistance" because the people in the rooms were pre-screened for loyalty to the MAGA movement.
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Does Heritage Still Have the Same Influence?
Lately, there’s been talk of a "schism." Kevin Roberts faced some internal pushback after defending certain controversial media figures, and there’s a feeling that Heritage might have flown too close to the sun. Some donors are worried the brand became too "toxic" during the election.
However, looking at the executive orders flying out of the Oval Office this year, it’s hard to say they’ve lost their touch. Even if Trump doesn't like to give them credit, he's using their blueprints to build his house.
Actionable Insights: What This Means for You
If you’re trying to track where the country is headed, don’t just watch the rallies. Read the policy papers.
- Watch the Federal Register: If you want to see the Heritage Foundation and Trump's plan in action, look at the dry, boring regulatory changes. That’s where the "Administrative State" is actually being dismantled.
- Keep an eye on the courts: Many of these changes are being challenged by groups like the ACLU. The "Unitary Executive Theory"—the idea that the President has total control over the bureaucracy—is the legal battleground of the century.
- Ignore the "distancing" rhetoric: Politicians distance themselves from think tanks when the polls look bad. Look at who they hire. If the staffers are Heritage alumni, the policy will be Heritage-flavored.
The 2026 landscape is defined by this weird, push-pull relationship. It’s a mix of high-level academic theory from Heritage and the raw, populist energy of Trump. Whether you love it or hate it, you can't understand modern American power without looking at both.
If you want to stay ahead, start looking at the "Mandate for Leadership" chapters on specific agencies like the DOJ or the Department of Education. Those are the real roadmaps for the next two years.
Next Steps to Stay Informed:
- Review the specific Department of Justice chapter in the Mandate for Leadership to understand proposed changes to FBI independence.
- Track Schedule F legal challenges in the DC Circuit Court to see if the civil service overhaul sticks.
- Monitor Department of Education grant cancellations to see if the "decentralization" plan is meeting its 2026 targets.