President Donald Trump's latest attack on New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman has drawn renewed attention to a forthcoming book that examines his second administration, with its authors alleging that White House officials privately grappled with the political fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files and that Elon Musk wielded extraordinary influence during the early months of Trump's return to office.
The dispute began after Trump used Truth Social over the weekend to denounce Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, a book co-authored by The New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. Rather than dampening interest, the president's criticism has intensified scrutiny of the book's central claims, many of which concern internal White House deliberations and the concentration of power inside the administration.
Trump dismissed the book as a "very quick and boring briefing" and described Haberman as a "third rate writer and intellect." In the same social media post, he repeatedly misspelled the journalist's name while asserting that she had earned a "first rate income" because of covering "your favourite President, ME." Trump did not specifically criticize Swan, despite both reporters sharing authorship of the book.
The confrontation highlights Trump's long-running and often combative relationship with Haberman, who has covered his political career for years. While the president characterized the reporting as "mostly made up," he did not directly address many of the book's specific assertions regarding internal White House operations.
According to The New York Times and the book's publisher, Regime Change draws on hundreds of interviews with current and former administration officials to reconstruct decision-making during Trump's second term. Among its most notable claims is that senior officials convened a Situation Room meeting to address political fallout surrounding the Epstein files without the president present.
The book reportedly argues that concerns surrounding the Epstein matter occupied senior administration officials for an extended period, prompting repeated internal discussions about how to respond to mounting public attention. While the reported meeting itself has generated significant interest, the authors present it as part of a broader examination of how sensitive political controversies were managed inside the White House.
Another prominent claim centers on billionaire Elon Musk, whose financial support for Trump's 2025 campaign reportedly translated into unusually broad influence within the administration. According to the book, Musk effectively functioned as a "co-president" for roughly four months during the early stages of Trump's second term, reflecting what the authors describe as his significant involvement in policy discussions and government operations.
The characterization has become one of the book's most widely discussed assertions because it suggests that Musk's role extended well beyond that of a political supporter or outside adviser. The authors reportedly portray his influence as reaching deeply into the administration's decision-making process, though the book's broader account has yet to receive comprehensive public responses from the White House or Musk.
The publication also reportedly examines additional constitutional and legal issues inside the administration. Among them is the claim that White House officials discussed the possibility of suspending habeas corpus during internal deliberations. The book presents the episode as evidence of broader debates over executive authority, although the reported discussions have not been independently confirmed through official government records.
Trump's public response has had the unintended effect of increasing visibility for the book ahead of its release. Political publishing has frequently demonstrated that direct criticism from high-profile figures can accelerate public interest, particularly when the criticism targets investigative works based on insider reporting.
