Trump asked – A leaked excerpt from the upcoming book “Regime Change” describes how President Donald Trump, during a private October 2025 dinner for billionaires that included media mogul Rupert Murdoch, asked Murdoch which of two top Republicans he preferred—JD Vance or Ma
On a private dinner night in October 2025. President Donald Trump sat Rupert Murdoch at the head of the table and then aimed a question straight at the center of his political future. The book “Regime Change. ” due out next week. says the moment was so uncomfortable that other guests talked about it privately “for weeks.”.
Axios published an excerpt from the upcoming book by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. focusing on a dinner Trump hosted for billionaires that included Murdoch. The excerpt also notes that while Trump sued Murdoch and his newspaper. the Wall Street Journal. in June 2025 over an article about the president’s former friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. many parts of Murdoch’s business empire were still on friendly terms with the Trump team.
Trump leaned into that familiarity. Murdoch sat next to Trump at the head of the table. with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio seated nearby. Haberman and Swan write that Trump was “in an avuncular mood. ” and that the awkwardness sharpened when he asked Murdoch who he liked better—Vance or Rubio—while the two men were reportedly “sitting awkwardly at the table.”.
The excerpt portrays Trump as playing the same kind of rivalry-management game often, “in order to fan the flames around which of the two men will run for the 2028 presidential election.” Trump told Murdoch, “They’re both great,” and then asked, “What do you think of JD?”
Murdoch replied, “Well … I think JD has the potential to be great.” Trump then asked about Rubio, prompting Murdoch to answer immediately: “Marco is brilliant.”
The scene’s fallout, in the book’s telling, didn’t end with dessert. Haberman and Swan write that “the other guests would talk privately about the moment for weeks after the dinner.”
That dinner story arrives as “Regime Change” draws from reporting that includes verbatim quotes from Situation Room meetings—covering the Iran war and the handling of the fallout from the Epstein files. Another Axios report published earlier this week says Trump is not thrilled about the book. An unnamed Trump administration source told Axios. “We’re afraid some of our most sensitive conversations were being recorded. ” adding. “And we have no idea which ones.”.
In the excerpt’s telling. the dinner moment lands on a familiar fault line in Washington: who gets Trump’s attention when rivals sit close enough to hear it all. But the broader tension sits behind the scenes. too—because even as the book’s release approaches. the administration is reportedly left questioning what was recorded. and when.
MISRYOUM United States politics Donald Trump Rupert Murdoch JD Vance Marco Rubio 2028 election Axios Regime Change Maggie Haberman Jonathan Swan Wall Street Journal Jeffrey Epstein Situation Room Iran war
So Murdoch was basically picking a future VP? Wild.
Not gonna lie, the whole “who do you like better” dinner thing sounds like gossip. But also isn’t that just how politics works? Like, they’re all trying to position people for 2028.
Wait, I thought JD Vance is already the VP? Or is the article saying Trump is trying to replace Rubio or something? Either way this reads like a setup like, “awkward for weeks” 🙄
These books always leak the juiciest part and everybody pretends it’s proof of something. Murdoch at the head of the table… Trump lawsuit… Epstein stuff… yeah I’m sure it’s all super normal. I don’t even know who Ma On is though, so maybe I’m missing the part where the internet got the name wrong.