Donald Trump, now in his second term as the 46th president, is portrayed in the recently released book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump as having reshaped the office into a vehicle for personal and political retribution.
Weaponised Executive Power
The veteran reporters frame Trump’s tenure as a continuation of America’s tradition of charismatic rule‑breakers, but argue that where Barack Obama expanded executive reach through unilateral actions, Trump has treated institutional guardrails as optional. The authors contend that this approach has produced mixed outcomes: senior aides frequently push back against extreme proposals, and Republican senators continue to resist any move to abolish the filibuster, despite the president’s wishes.
Chaos Inside the White House
According to the book, the president’s inner circle now includes “Republican lawmakers, crypto bros, and former pro wrestlers”. It also alleges that Trump spends his downtime affixing gold decorations to White House fireplaces with superglue. Chapter titles such as “Retribution” and “The Enemy Within” give the work an apocalyptic tone, yet the authors describe a White House often paralysed by disarray.
Key moments illustrate the gap between rhetoric and action. A threatened bombing of Iran, a proposal to suspend habeas corpus and a plan to invoke the Insurrection Act all fizzled. The authors note that “the evidence is underwhelming” when assessing claims of unchecked power.
Relations with Media and Allies
The book relies on anonymous “people close to the president” to detail internal chaos, a fact that contradicts the administration’s claim of being leak‑proof. It also depicts Fox News host Tucker Carlson as both confidant and intermediary for foreign regimes, highlighting the transactional nature of Trump’s relationship with the press.
Loyalty Over Credentials
The second term has seen a purge of “well‑credentialed strangers” in favour of loyalists willing to endure public humiliation. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are cited as frequent targets of Trump’s penchant for pitting allies against each other during meetings that descend into political theatre.
Legacy and Future Implications
Despite the theatrics, the authors argue that Trump has normalised an expansive view of executive power that future presidents, regardless of party, are likely to exploit. An oil executive at a 2025 White House meeting remarked, "He has a better sense of his executive authority than anybody else we've ever dealt with." He added, "I would never want a Democrat to have that same sense."