Inside “Regime Change”: New Book Details Donald Trump’s Second-Term Power Drive

On July 15, 2026, New York Times reporters Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman published *Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump*. Drawing on more than 1,000 sources, the volume portrays a second term in which President Donald Trump pursues an “imperial” style of governance, emphasizing personal power over traditional republican norms. The authors argue that this drive is evident in the president’s fixation on historic tyrants, his approach to the war with Iran, and his attempts at regime change in Venezuela.

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During his first term (2017-2021), senior national-security officials described working for a leader they deemed “dangerous,” often viewing their roles as a safeguard for the country. Swan notes that the current administration lacks such dissenting voices, instead comprising staff who “believe in him, are loyal to him,” many of whom “went through the campaign” and faced legal pressures tied to the 2024 election.

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The war with Iran, launched in 2024, has “not gone well” and diverged from the expectations set by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump himself. Simultaneously, the president has pursued “regime change” in Venezuela, reflecting a broader pattern of using foreign interventions to cement personal legacy.

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• Jonathan Swan – New York Times political reporter who has covered Trump for 11 years.

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• Maggie Haberman – Veteran New York Times journalist and co-author.

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• Donald Trump – 45th President of the United States, currently in his second term.

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• Trump’s senior staff – Described as “a group of people who believe in him,” including campaign loyalists, a pro-wrestler, a crypto investor, and foreign contacts described as “from a golf monarchy.”

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• Over 1,000 sources were consulted for the book.

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• The authors cite the president’s personal comparison to “Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan,” a list they say “had nothing to do with morality, all just about pure power projection.”

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• The Oval Office is reported to be “gilded almost every corner,” a visual shift from historic modesty.

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President Trump responded on his Truth Social platform, dismissing the work as “mostly made up, Fake News, largely fiction, as have been most of the things [Haberman] has written about me for so many years.”

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Swan characterizes Trump’s behavior as an “extreme version” of hubris, noting that the president appears “stuck” and that his war strategy “has not played out the way… he thought it would.” He also describes decision-making meetings as lacking structure: “Meetings have no beginning, middle or end. There’s almost no delineation,” and warns that “Trump creates an unreality bubble” that hampers factual accountability.

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The book suggests that the president’s personal quest for historical greatness is reshaping U.S. institutions, from the decor of the Oval Office to the conduct of foreign wars. If policy decisions stem directly from unfiltered presidential impulses, the traditional checks that safeguard democratic governance may be eroded, affecting both domestic stability and international relations.

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• “It's pretty clear he realizes that this war [with Iran] has not gone well, has not played out the way that Netanyahu pitched him or that Trump himself thought [it] would play out,” — Jonathan Swan, New York Times journalist

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• “[The list had] nothing to do with morality, all just about pure power projection. And Trump was relishing being in their company,” — Jonathan Swan, New York Times journalist

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• “Meetings have no beginning, middle or end.” — Jonathan Swan, New York Times journalist

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• “Trump creates an unreality bubble.” — Jonathan Swan, New York Times journalist

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• “mostly made up, Fake News, largely fiction, as have been most of the things [Haberman] has written about me for so many years.” — Donald Trump, post on Truth Social

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