Heritage Foundation suffers defections as MAGA tensions grow

Emily Birnbaum, Bloomberg News on Dec 22, 2025

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WASHINGTON — More than a dozen staffers departed the Heritage Foundation over the weekend to join a rival organization, the latest sign of ideological tumult at the think tank once considered the central node in Washington’s conservative ecosystem and an intellectual bastion for President Donald Trump.

The departures included the entire leadership and staff of the Heritage Foundation’s legal, economic and data teams, according to a press release from Advancing American Freedom, a group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, who’s emerged as prominent Republican critic of Trump after serving as his running mate.

Pence told The Wall Street Journal he had long admired the Heritage Foundation but sees the group now “abandoning its principles,” embracing elements of isolationism, and supporting some tariffs, among other issues.

“Why these people are coming our way is that Heritage and some other voices and commentators have embraced big-government populism and have been willing to tolerate antisemitism,” Pence told the Journal.

AAF said it has raised “more than eight figures” to support the new hires.

Heritage — which authored the Project 2025 report that’s served as a road map for much of the Trump administration’s first year — has been consumed by controversy and a string of high-profile departures in recent months. The upheaval followed Heritage President Kevin Roberts’ public defense of conservative broadcaster Tucker Carlson for hosting Nick Fuentes, an influencer know for his antisemitic views and Holocaust denial, on his popular show.

Roberts denounced what he called the “venomous coalition” that criticized Carlson over his friendly interview with Fuentes. “Their attempt to cancel him will fail,” Roberts said.

Shortly afterward, facing outrage from staff and donors, Roberts apologized and said he was misled by his former chief of staff, who he claimed wrote the script for him. But Roberts has since rejected calls to resign.

As a result of Roberts’ comments, three Heritage board members have resigned in the past month, including two last week.

Josh Blackman, a well-known constitutional law professor, publicly resigned from the Heritage Foundation over the weekend as well, claiming Roberts’ remarks defending Carlson “gave aid and comfort to the rising tide of antisemitism on the right.”

In a public letter addressed to Roberts, Blackman wrote “jurists, scholars, and advocates have made clear to me they can no longer associate” with the Heritage Foundation’s Guide to the Constitution, a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. constitution with contributions from more than 100 scholars, which was published three months ago.

On Monday, Heritage Foundation Chief Advancement Officer Andy Olivastro said in a statement the group “has always welcomed debate, but alignment on mission and loyalty to the institution are non-negotiable. “

“A handful of staff chose a different path — some through disruption, others through disloyalty,” he said.

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