Excerpts from the forthcoming book “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump” describe President Donald Trump as a nighttime “snacker” who leaves wrappers and empty food containers around his quarters. The account also raises questions ins
For the staff trying to keep private spaces clean inside the White House, the routine sounded less like a quick tidy-up and more like cleanup after every night.
In excerpts from “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump. ” a forthcoming book by White House correspondents Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. Trump is described as a “nighttime snacker.” The details paint a pattern: empty potato chip bags. Starbucks wrappers and ice cream cartons left scattered around his quarters.
Haberman and Swan also write that aides tracked the trash after discovering Trump sometimes discarded White House sterling silver utensils along with food wrappers. The book’s portrayal doesn’t frame it as chaos for its own sake—rather. it shows the everyday labor aides performed. checking what was left behind and what needed to be cleared so the president’s private areas stayed presentable.
Carpeted bathrooms and the worry about what it could grow
Another passage zeroes in on Trump’s preference for carpeted bathrooms. The authors say that the area of carpet nearest the shower would often be soaked through, a situation that prompted concerns among staff about potential mold growth.
Instead of using bath mats, Trump reportedly preferred smaller pieces of matching carpet placed over the larger one. Those pieces were rotated, dried, and replaced as needed.
The book also notes that carpeted bathrooms were briefly popular in the 1970s, but are now generally viewed as unhygienic because of the risk of bacterial growth and unpleasant odors.
Separate bedrooms and decoration battles
Living arrangements also come into focus. The book describes Donald and Melania Trump as maintaining separate bedrooms—an arrangement not seen since Richard and Pat Nixon. In Haberman and Swan’s account, Melania occupies the traditional master bedroom, while Donald uses the adjoining second-floor living room.
During the early weeks of the administration, Trump reportedly began moving items from the hallway into his room, sometimes carrying them himself. The excerpts say Trump moved items from the Center Hall into his bedroom, disregarding Melania’s personal selections.
When staff reminded Trump that the items had been chosen by Melania, the authors write that he brushed aside their concerns and pushed ahead, determined to secure what he viewed as the “better room.” Aides later photographed replacement items and sent them to Melania for approval.
Beyond the bedroom: Rose Garden and ballroom fights
Disagreements extend further, with the book describing friction between Trump and Melania over major projects on the grounds.
Haberman and Swan say Melania’s team strongly opposed Trump’s proposal to transform the Rose Garden into a Mar-a-Lago-style patio. A compromise was reached: the grass was replaced with white stone while the rose bushes remained.
Melania also opposed Trump’s ballroom project. The objection, according to the authors, focused on both construction noise and the project’s massive scale. Despite those concerns, Trump moved ahead with the plan, demolishing a 123-year-old structure to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The book adds that the ballroom grew to a size larger than the White House itself.
Inside the Oval Office, a gold-heavy personal touch
The excerpts also describe Trump’s hands-on approach to decorating the Oval Office. Haberman and Swan write that the sight of Trump attaching gold ornaments surprised some people in his inner circle, given his long-standing affinity for gold-themed décor.
Donald Trump Melania Trump Maggie Haberman Jonathan Swan Regime Change White House Oval Office Rose Garden ballroom nighttime habits carpeted bathrooms
Carpet bathrooms are nasty. That’s it.
I feel like this is just book drama. Like okay, he eats snacks and leaves wrappers?? Plenty of people do, staff just cleans it. Also carpet bathrooms? idk, seems blown up.
Wait so the “carpet near the shower” is soaked through and they’re rotating it??? That sounds like they don’t clean it at all, but they’re pretending it’s normal. Mold is mold, why would anyone want that. And sterling silver utensils??? is this the same as like… sabotage or something?
This is why people are mad, right? It’s not even the snacks, it’s the fact aides have to track trash like it’s a crime scene. Next they’ll say he uses the Starbucks cup as a toilet. Like cmon, everything becomes a scandal.