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Trump set to highlight first-year achievements in address
President Donald Trump is expected to emphasize his administration's accomplishments during Tuesday's State of the Union speech, though one notable omission is likely: Project 2025, the conservative policy roadmap that has quietly shaped his second term.
Public distancing belies policy adoption
Months before reclaiming the presidency in 2024, Trump publicly disavowed Project 2025, a 900-page agenda published by the Heritage Foundation. He claimed ignorance about its authors and dismissed parts of the document as "ridiculous and abysmal." The move followed sustained criticism from Democratic opponents, who framed the plan as an extremist blueprint for a second Trump term.
Yet nearly half of Project 2025's proposals have since been implemented, according to analyses by liberal think tanks. The Center for Progressive Reform estimates 53% of the policies are now in effect, while an independent tracker puts the figure at 51%.
Key proposals now in force
The document's immigration section called for deploying military troops to secure borders, eliminating protected enforcement zones like schools and churches, and expanding detention facilities. All these measures have been enacted under Trump's leadership.
Foreign policy shifts also reflect Project 2025's influence. While the document stopped short of demanding Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's removal-a step Trump later took-it urged "containing Venezuela's Communism" and countering Chinese and Russian influence in South America. The 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy mirrors this stance, warning of a "parallel world" dominated by adversarial powers.
Other implemented policies include mass federal workforce reductions and the consolidation of agencies, such as placing the U.S. Agency for International Development under State Department control.
Architects now in power
Several Project 2025 contributors now hold key administration roles. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FCC Chair Brendan Carr, and trade adviser Peter Navarro are among those who helped draft the plan. Russell Vought, who authored a chapter on overhauling the bureaucracy, leads the Office of Management and Budget and was publicly praised by Trump for slashing government spending.
Paul Dans, the project's former director, told the BBC the plan has become "conservative gospel." Dans, who left the Heritage Foundation in August 2024 to support Trump's campaign, said he was "gratified" by the adoption rate but warned time was running out to implement the remaining proposals before the 2026 midterms.
Unfulfilled agenda and political risks
Despite progress, over half of Project 2025's proposals remain unrealized. Dans argued Democrats erred by attacking the plan instead of presenting their own vision, calling it "one of the great electoral miscalculations in history."
Critics, however, caution that the expanded executive powers championed by Project 2025 could backfire. Eugene Kiley of Factcheck.org noted that future liberal administrations might wield the same tools to advance opposing agendas. "This can come back and bite [Republicans] someday," he said.
James Goodwin of the Center for Progressive Reform suggested progressives should draft a similarly comprehensive policy document to counter Project 2025's influence. "We have an opportunity to articulate a vision for how to do things better," he said.
Heritage Foundation downplays role
The Heritage Foundation, which published Project 2025 in April 2023, distanced itself from claims of direct influence. A spokesperson told the BBC that "all policy and personnel decisions are up to President Trump and his team." The White House did not address specific questions about the project, instead highlighting Trump's first-year achievements, including border security measures and tax cuts.
