Leaked Database Exposes Far-Right Influences in Trump Recruitment Project
Recently hacked materials from the influential conservative thinktank Heritage Foundation have revealed startling details about applicants to Project 2025, an initiative designed to create a talent pool for the Trump administration. The leaked database shows numerous applicants cited Nazi political theorists and other extremist thinkers as primary influences on their political views.
The Guardian obtained and analysed 13,726 applications submitted to the Presidential Administration Academy, part of Project 2025's effort to identify politically-aligned candidates for government positions. While not all applicants featured in the hack secured Trump administration jobs, several current appointees did submit applications through this system.
Nazi Theorists and Extremist Influences
Dozens of applicants expressed admiration for Carl Schmitt, the German political theorist often described as the "crown jurist of the Third Reich." Schmitt's intellectual legacy remains inseparable from his active collaboration with the Nazi regime, where he worked to legitimise Adolf Hitler's policies and organised antisemitic conferences.
Among those citing Schmitt was Paul Ingrassia, recently appointed as deputy general counsel of the General Services Administration. Ingrassia listed Schmitt's works including "Concept of the Political" and "Political Theology" among books that had shaped his thinking. His sister, Olivia Ingrassia, now working in the Trump administration, also referenced Schmitt in her application.
Another applicant, Max Matheu, currently serving as an attorney adviser at the State Department, nominated Schmitt's "The Concept of the Political" as influential, writing that "The friend/enemy distinction is the cardinal concept that undergirds all politics."
Authoritarian Admiration and Extreme Rhetoric
The leaked applications also revealed admiration for Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's authoritarian president known for his brutal prison system. Dozens of applicants praised Bukele's approach, with some suggesting the United States should follow his model of centralised power.
Jackson Kitchin, now serving as a federal law clerk, wrote in his application that "Bukele has shown the world that morality is objective" and expressed hope that US presidential powers would be similarly strengthened. His comments came amid reports that hundreds of Venezuelans and Salvadorans deported by the Trump administration faced systematic torture in Bukele's prisons.
Several applicants referenced even more extreme figures, including prominent white nationalist Jared Taylor and British far-right writer Neema Parvini, who has claimed black and white people are "different species."
Secret Societies and Internal Conflicts
The leaked materials identified at least seven members of the Old Glory Club, a nationwide network of men-only, nativist and antisemitic clubs, among Project 2025 applicants. Although none appear to have secured administration positions, their applications revealed openly discriminatory views.
Ryan Turnipseed, a founding member of the Old Glory Club, wrote in his application supporting "Freedom of association and the right to discriminate," adding that anti-discrimination laws had been "disastrous" for American society.
The revelations come amid what sources describe as a developing "civil war" within conservative circles about the influence of the antisemitic far right, including internal dissension at the Heritage Foundation itself.
Expert Analysis and Institutional Response
Hannah Gais, senior analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center, told The Guardian that given Project 2025's "reactionary goals, it's no surprise that these applicants would cite any myriad of influences peddling such authoritarian and anti-democratic rhetoric."
She added that the applications represent "the fruits of the strategy that some activists have embraced of 'no enemies to the right,'" noting it was "nevertheless telling that these applicants felt safe citing such radical figures."
When contacted for comment, a Heritage Foundation spokesman dismissed The Guardian as a "leftist gossip rag" and stated they wouldn't "waste time answering its half-baked questions." Heritage sources claimed they wouldn't know the political views of applicants applying through public links nor be able to screen them effectively.
The database leak represents one of several cybersecurity incidents affecting Project 2025 since mid-2024, with the transparency non-profit Distributed Denial of Secrets releasing the contents in June 2025. The identity of the original hackers remains unknown.
