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He said the government shutdown, which began on Tuesday, had afforded him an "unprecedented opportunity".
"I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame," he posted on his Truth Social website on Thursday morning.
Vought, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, may not be a household name.
But Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for governing put together primarily by former Trump officials like Vought when the Republicans were out of power, featured prominently during last year's presidential campaign.
In case that particular metaphor wasn't clear, on Thursday night Trump shared an AI-generated parody music video on Truth Social with Vought portrayed as the grim reaper, set to altered lyrics of Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper.
On Capitol Hill, Republican leaders have echoed Trump's characterisation of Vought as the White House heavy.
"We don't control what he's going to do," Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said. "This is the risk of shutting down the government and handing the keys to Russ Vought."
Senator Mike Lee of Utah told Fox News that Vought had been "preparing for this moment since puberty".
That may be a bit of an overstatement, but Vought, who cut his teeth as a congressional staffer for Republican budget hawks and helped run the lobbying arm of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has a wealth of experience digging through the intricacies of the federal budget.
The 900-page policy document contained proposals for dramatic reductions in the size of federal government, expanded presidential authority, rigorous immigration enforcement, a nationwide abortion ban and other elements of an ultra-conservative social agenda.
It was frequently touted by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, as Trump's "dangerous plan" for the future if he was to win.
At the time, seeking to reassure undecided voters, Trump tried to distance himself from the policy document.
"I know nothing about Project 2025," Trump wrote in July 2024. "I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal."
Now, however, Trump is using the conservative blueprint as a threat to get Democrats to agree to his budgetary demands. And he is holding up Vought, who authored a chapter on the use of executive power, as a kind of budgetary angel of death, ready to take a scythe to government programmes near and dear to Democrats.
