Two New York Times journalists have written a vivid, detailed account of Donald Trump’s first year in his second presidency. The book reads like you are in the White House or Mar-a-Lago, partly because of the direct dialogue woven throughout. I was drawn to it hoping to understand Trump as a leader: what makes him tick, how he interacts with people, how he spends his time, how he makes his decisions. The book offers answers, though they rarely inspire optimism.
- Driven by Power, Fame and Appearance
Trump relishes power. In his second term, he finally became the historical figure he always wanted to be. He told the authors, “I don’t think there’s ever been an American President as powerful as I am.” He sees himself as transformational, remaking the world in his image, something few leaders ever have the chance to do. An illustration of his hunger for power is that he gave the authors a document meant to show how independent observers perceive his presidency. It compared him amongst others to Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon. The ‘historian’ who wrote it was actually the golf caddy of a friend, someone who had studied history on his own, outside any university or framework.
The authors quote sources that say that Trump has a feral instinct for power and he is an intuitive reader of people. He has a sixth sense for locating a person’s weakest point, their hidden vulnerability, and pushing hard on it until he breaks them.
Moreover, the authors write that Trump craves fame on a cellular level. Trump’s highest form of praise is that you look good on tv. He has an intense concern about his appearance.
Finally, he always wants to win. He spent his life trying to avoid humiliation and refuses to accept the title of loser.
- Led by Impulses
Trump is a pure instinct player; he is unreflective and quick to make big decisions. “Trump will often do simply whatever he feels like in the moment, frequently giving in to shockingly impulsive behavior.” He doesn’t seem to have a vision. Those searching for geopolitical or strategic motivations often come away empty-handed. A CEO once told me that he considered it important to boringly consistent, but consistency is not an issue for Trump. He creates enormous flexibility for himself, thinking nothing of reversing himself entirely and lying brazenly to get out of a tight spot. He is less interested in policy or ideology than in spectacle and dominance.
A telling anecdote in the book is about his Arc de Trump, the proposed 250-foot triumphal arch to be built in Washington, inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In a discussion about the project the issue came up if there should be an observation deck. Trump said to an aide, “Call Emmanuel”. French President Macron came on the phone. “Emmanuel? Emmanuel? I’m building a big arch, Emmanuel. I’m trying to figure out if I need a viewing deck. Your arch, do you have a viewing platform?” Macron confirmed that the Arc de Triomphe had a viewing platform. “What do you think? We have a viewing deck? I don’t know. Could be dangerous? People throw bottles and shit off it, right? Do you think they’d throw bottles? I don’t know. It’s dangerous. You can jump off it. What do you think, Emmanuel, do people jump off it?”
He is a television addict. He often stays up all night, on the phone or watching television or both, only to finally catch some sleep around four or five in the morning. He has never been a big sleeper. Based on what he sees on television, he hurls his messages into the world via Truth Social, often without anything resembling a serious investigation or policy process.
- Contempt for Restraint
Trump has no respect for rules, laws, or traditions. He regards bureaucracy as a needless roadblock to progress. The wishes of oil executives were his command. A CEO could simply ask, and it would be granted. In any other White House, there would be an elaborate process weighing economics, environment, and regulations before considering options.
Moreover, Trump has dismantled the institutional architecture that American Presidents spent eight decades building and maintaining. He hollowed out NATO. He was the first modern President to govern as though the international system simply did not exist. “I don’t need international law,” he said. The system thus far has no answer.
- Vindictiveness and Retaliation
He has orchestrated a campaign of retribution unlike anything before directed by an American President. He is ruthless. He did not hesitate to order DOJ investigations of his enemies or use every tool available to get his way. About Letitia James, New York Attorney General, he said, “I want to make her life miserable.” A president publicly directing an attorney general to press charges against named individuals represents the most blatant violation of post-Watergate boundaries between the White House and the DOJ. Yet curiously, he tends to be friendly in personal conversations. He has an aversion to one-on-one interpersonal conflict.
- Surrounded by Yes-Men
I think it is important that leaders create their own countervailing powers. Trump has not. He has largely tuned out his critics and surrounded himself with flatterers. He gets less pushback from adults in the room than he did in his first term. He gathered people around him who listen to him and then act, immediately and without second-guessing. He is doing what pleases him without meaningful resistance. He hears only what he wants to hear. His advisors know he is not receptive to being briefed on harsh realities. He lives in a bubble, shuttling between his private clubs and the White House, rarely shown anything but good news. His main inputs are Fox News and printouts from an assistant who adores him. What also does not help is that he never admits to making a mistake.
- Self-Centeredness Without Limit
He does not want to share the limelight with anyone. He divides and conquers. Only Trump has the full picture; no one else knows what he has told others or how it differs from what they have been told themselves. His real intentions are hard to discern. He keeps many secrets. Most of his government often have no idea what was being discussed in his tight inner circle. He seems to take satisfaction in the idea that Republicans would lose when he was not running, that they were unable to win without him on the ballot. He has unceasing demands for credit.
- The Tone from the Top
The tone is abusive, offensive, and trolling. He is deliberately inflammatory, obsessed with the use of force, mocking and dehumanizing perceived enemies. About Federal Reserve President Jerome Powell, Trump said, “I want to bust his fucking balls.” A staff member, speaking of two prominent lawmakers in Congress, called them “some of the dumbest retards ever.” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, about President Zelensky of Ukraine, said, “I’ve dealt with this little fucker. He’s tricky. He’s like the special-needs child for the Europeans. And he’s acting like Mr. Bean on crack.”
- A Narcissist’s Preoccupations
In his eyes, wealth has always equaled intelligence. Wealth is the full measure of a person. He was flattered that Elon Musk, the richest man in history, wanted to work for him.
He has an obsession with gold. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt entered the Oval Office one morning to find Trump clutching a tube of superglue, attempting to affix gold decorations to the marble fireplace mantel. The Oval Office had always been deliberately understated, a reminder that the United States was a republic, not a monarchy. Trump had honored that tradition in his first term. In his second term, he unleashed his inner Louis XIV. As the year progressed, he kept jamming more gold pieces onto the mantel. He renovated and redecorated the White House. He would not be satisfied until he had rubbed out even the tiniest remnants of his most recent predecessors.
The Larger Picture
The essential qualities leaders need have remained constant across centuries. So have the pathologies. What differs is whether the system around a leader still functions as a counterweight. In this case, it does not. The institutional architecture that once constrained a president has been dismantled or rendered complicit. The absence of internal resistance – the yes-men, the bubble, the refusal of reality – is not a personal failing alone. It is a systemic failure. A leader who believes he is answerable to no one will act as if he is answerable to no one.
This is a necessary book. It documents what happens when power is exercised without restraint, without vision, without humility. Haberman and Swift have given us a clear-eyed account of a presidency that should trouble anyone who cares about democracy, decency, and the proper use of power.
Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan. Regime Change. Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump. Simon & Schuster, 2026