A new book, 'Regime Change', co-authored by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Donald Trump's second term, revealing an administration adept at secrecy. The authors describe their arduous process of uncovering information, stating they 'nearly killed themselves' in the pursuit of White House secrets.
A significant challenge highlighted by Haberman and Swan was obtaining information regarding Trump's health. Haberman noted that Trump's health has been a 'specific lockbox' for decades, with illness perceived as weakness. Advisers were highly attuned to this, leading to a drastic reduction in accessible information. She pointed out that detailed health updates largely ceased after 2018, and the extent of his illness during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic was never fully disclosed.
Despite the administration's tight control over information, the book managed to uncover details from sensitive areas like the White House Situation Room. This included discussions surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, focusing on attempts to manage its fallout. Swan emphasised the difficulty of obtaining such information, explaining that a 'tiny group of people' ran the government, making inside-the-room reporting exceptionally challenging.
Interestingly, while aides were tight-lipped, Trump himself proved more forthcoming during interviews for the book. He reportedly shared a comparison, attributed to a historian (later identified as golfer Gary Player's caddie), between himself and various historical figures, including Alexander the Great, the Caesars, Napoleon Bonaparte, and even controversial figures like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.
The authors also cited a recent example concerning a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, describing it as one of the most crucial documents imaginable for ending a war. Swan revealed that almost no one within the US government, including senior officials in the White House, State Department, and Pentagon, had seen the document until its public announcement. He likened parts of the intelligence community's monitoring of these talks to observing a foreign government, illustrating the extreme secrecy surrounding key policy decisions.
This detailed account underscores the rigorous journalistic effort required to report on a highly guarded presidency, offering insights into the strategies employed to control information and the lengths reporters must go to penetrate such barriers.