Trump’s “Sounds – A new book co-written by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan describes Trump’s first year back in the White House as a mix of vengeance, chaos, and startling decisions—down to warnings that an Iran strategy was “bullshit” and “farcical,” followed by the Presiden
When Benjamin Netanyahu entered the White House Situation Room four months ago. it wasn’t a casual briefing—it was a push meant to change the course of a looming standoff. In “Regime Change. ” Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan describe how the Israeli Prime Minister persuaded President Trump to join him in what they frame as a strategic catastrophe: toppling Iran’s regime and cutting off its nuclear ambitions before it could ever close the Strait of Hormuz.
Netanyahu. according to the account. told Trump that together they would do it—before Iran had the chance to tighten its grip. The room, though, did not sound convinced. The book reports that the Secretary of State called Netanyahu’s plan “bullshit,” while the C.I.A. director said it was “farcical.” Then Trump delivered the line that made it all feel inevitable: “Sounds good to me. the President told the Prime Minister.” After that. “Everyone fell into line.”.
That episode lands like a keyhole view of the entire year the authors chronicle. The book’s account is not limited to one dramatic meeting. Haberman and Swan say “Regime Change” is exceptional for how quickly it reaches readers with a “history-as-it-is-happening” feel. They also argue the reporting goes beyond familiar material already present in the public record. They describe a White House where corruption is colossal. where valuable agencies—including U.S.A.I.D.—face heedless destruction. and where Trump’s inner circle and the culture around him are “sordid and unhinged.”.
The authors’ portrayal of Trump’s motive is equally blunt. They contend Trump ran in 2024 for one reason above all: “This was about staying out of prison.” After multiple indictments. impeachments. and criminal convictions. Trump returned to the White House with retribution on his mind—famously. as the book describes it: “I was the hunted. and now I’m the hunter.”.
The atmosphere inside the administration is described in sweeping, grim terms by the authors. They compare it to the Kremlin from Armando Iannucci’s 2017 movie. “The Death of Stalin. ” emphasizing a taste for humiliating people and a court-like environment built for flattery. The book depicts Trump’s White House as decadent, with a king addicted to vengeance.
Even the details of how Trump moves through the day are presented as part of the pattern. The book describes Trump employing one aide. a young woman named Natalie Harp. who follows him around all day. handing him glowing notices from the right-wing press and occasionally sending him adoring letters—letters that include the line: “You are all that matters to me.”.
But those gestures don’t land as comfort. The authors describe Trump’s reaction when Elon Musk—who raised some three hundred million dollars for Trump’s campaign—criticized the President over his budget bill. Trump’s response, as reported, is raw and lonely: “They always leave me. They always do this. This is why I can’t have friends.” Trump then instructs Harp to bring him his phone. He calls Musk twice. Both times, he gets voice mail.
Haberman and Swan also describe moments that connect Trump’s sense of self to the damage he inflicts. During Trump’s hush-money trial in New York. the book says he heard about a mentally ill man—“consumed by conspiracy theories”—who set himself on fire in a park nearby. Trump asked an aide. “Do you think he did it for me?” Then. the book reports the aide was told: “Let’s tell people that he did it for me.”.
The authors include Trump’s own account of another comparison. In an interview with the authors. Trump says he was pleased to learn from an unnamed historian that. given the reach of his arsenal and armed forces. he is far more powerful than Genghis Khan. Alexander the Great. or Joseph Stalin. The book says the historian the authors discover is Gary Player’s caddy.
By the time July 4 approaches. the book’s tone turns outward again—toward the capital itself. toward symbols that should feel steady. As July 4th approaches. the water in the Reflecting Pool. which the authors say was refurbished by Trump’s “pool guy” with a no-bid contract. turns green with algae. It’s a detail that reads less like decoration and more like atmosphere: a dismal time in the capital.
Throughout, “Regime Change” pushes a message that doesn’t require an editorial stamp to feel clear. Trump’s return is framed not as a reset. but as an intensification—one driven by retribution. sustained by humiliation and flattery. and carried forward even when warnings come in plain language. When the Secretary of State calls a plan “bullshit,” when the C.I.A. director calls it “farcical. ” and when the President answers. “Sounds good to me. ” the story doesn’t end—it simply shows how the system absorbs doubt.
Haberman and Swan have done. by their own terms. “admirable work.” Still. the final pages carry a different kind of hope—one that doesn’t pretend to be satisfied by description alone. The book leaves readers “hoping” the next chapter will be about transition: a shift from the era of Trump to something “of democratic renewal.” That chapter. the authors’ account implies. can’t come soon enough.
MISRYOUM Regime Change Maggie Haberman Jonathan Swan Trump second term Netanyahu Iran Strait of Hormuz U.S. State Department CIA U.S.A.I.D. Natalie Harp Elon Musk Truth Social Reflecting Pool