Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah who spoke before Dans, said that opposition to bureaucracy is key to Trump’s success — and the reason that “they” continue to attack him.

“This is the secret to why Trump has been successful,” he said. “It’s also the secret to why we need Trump so much today, and the secret to why they’re doing everything they can, why they tried to imprison him, why somebody tried to kill him.”

Dans says the Biden campaign is pushing a “fake attachment” between Trump and Project 2025, which he said launched over two years ago.

“We are not running for president,” Dans said. “President Trump is running for president. We’re a group of private citizens advocating for better government.”

He claimed the media has “debunked” any connection with Trump.

But CNN found that at least 140 former Trump administration employees have served in Project 2025 roles such as authors or contributors. That includes six of his former Cabinet secretaries.

In total — CNN found “nearly 240 people had ties to both Project 2025 and to Trump.”