Trump Book Reveals Confidence to Push Executive Power Limits in Second Term

President Donald Trump believes his 2024 election victory has positioned him to exercise presidential power more boldly than during his first term, according to a new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan titled "Regime Change."

The book, which examines Trump's first year of his second term in 2025, captures Trump's conviction that losing the 2020 election ultimately strengthened his position. Trump told reporters while showing off new flagpoles on the White House North and South Lawns: "You guys were after me. I was the hunted. And now I'm the hunter." According to Haberman and Swan, Trump believes that had he won in 2020, his presidency would have been constrained by internal administration pushback, the coronavirus pandemic, inflation, and a Democratic-controlled Congress. His second term faces none of these obstacles, emboldening him to "trample norms, dismantle established institutions and push the limits of presidential power."

The book also reveals Trump's frequent inquiries to aides about whether Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be better positioned to succeed him in 2028. While Trump expressed admiration for Vance's intellect and Rubio's background as the son of Cuban immigrants, he has showed little inclination to cede the spotlight. In an Oval Office meeting with Vance and Democratic congressional leaders, Trump displayed "Trump 2028" baseball caps and referred to giving Vance "a little more training," while noting that Vance was "fine" with the situation. Rubio and Vance are described as friends, with Rubio having offered support to Vance after the latter's "childless cat ladies" comments became controversial.

The book details significant internal concern over the administration's handling of released files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles convened a crisis response meeting in the Situation Room, and Vance reportedly suggested enlisting broadcaster Tucker Carlson to conduct an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned former associate. The revelation has raised security questions about whether journalists obtained recordings from within a secure White House area.