Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The authors’ argument is that Trump’s 2020 election loss was essential for creating the unconstrained, “imperial” presidency of his second term. How persuasive did you find this thesis? Which events or pieces of evidence in the book most strongly supported or failed to support this idea for you?

2. What was your experience reading this book? Did you find the inside-the-room reporting style engaging, unsettling, or something else entirely? How does the book’s approach compare to other journalistic accounts of a presidency you might have read, like Bob Woodward’s Fear: Trump in the White House (2018) or even the classic All the President’s Men (1974)?

3. Thinking about the entire narrative, from the chaotic “whirlwind” of the first hundred days to the unilateral decision to go to war with Iran, what moment or story was the most memorable or shocking to you, and why did it stand out?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The theme of prioritizing loyalty over competence appears repeatedly, from cabinet selections to the purging of officials based on rumors. Thinking about your own experiences in workplaces or community groups, have you ever seen personal loyalty valued more than skill, and what was the outcome?

2. What makes a leader effective in your experience? How do the leadership styles of figures like Trump, the methodical Stephen Miller, or the stabilizing Susie Wiles challenge or align with your own views on what works?

3. The book details an official communications strategy that relies on trolling and inflammatory social-media memes to provoke opponents and energize a base. How do you see this style of communication playing out in public discourse today? Has it affected how you engage with news or online discussions?

4. Elon Musk’s role as a “demolition man” in government offers a dramatic case study of an outsider trying to reform a system. Based on the events in the book and your own observations, what do you think are the potential benefits and pitfalls of bringing in such “disruptors” to solve complex societal problems?

5. Has reading about the administration’s challenges to institutions like the Justice Department, the Smithsonian, or the Federal Reserve changed the way you think about their role in a democracy?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The book describes choosing officials who are “straight out of central casting” and a culture where political success is seen as “great television” (13). In what ways does the book explore the merging of politics and entertainment, and where do you see this trend in our wider culture today?

2. How does Regime Change illustrate the power of social media and individual tech figures to influence national policy and public discourse? What does the story of Elon Musk’s DOGE or the administration’s use of social media suggest about the relationship between Washington and Silicon Valley?

3. The effort to dismantle the federal bureaucracy is a central project in the book. How did the portrayal of this experiment affect your understanding of the role of a professional civil service versus political appointees in government?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The authors structure the book into parts titled “Whirlwind,” “Retribution,” and “Plunder.” How did this thematic organization shape your reading experience and help build the book’s central argument about the nature of this presidency?

2. How do the authors portray people like Marco Rubio, JD Vance, and Susie Wiles? Did you see them as complex individuals with their own motivations, or did they function more as archetypes in a larger story about power?

3. What is the significance of the gold decor in the Oval Office? How does this recurring motif function as a symbol for the administration’s values and governing style throughout the book?

4. In the book, the authors describe their access to the inner workings of the administration. How did this inside perspective shape the book’s narrative voice? Did it feel more like objective reporting or a constructed narrative, and how did that affect its credibility for you?

5. The “retribution agenda” is a core theme of the book. What does the book suggest about the use of vengeance as a political tool? How do the failed attempts to prosecute James Comey and Letitia James illustrate the potential limits of this approach?

6. Robert Caro’s biographies of Lyndon Johnson famously explore the mechanics of political power. How does Haberman and Swan’s depiction of Trump’s use of power compare to Caro’s portrayal of Johnson’s methods? What are the similarities or differences in how they wield loyalty, retribution, and executive authority?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If Regime Change were adapted into a prestige TV series like The Crown or Chernobyl, which storyline do you think would make the most compelling first episode, and why?

2. Imagine you’re a curator at the Smithsonian tasked with creating an exhibit about the first year of Trump’s second administration, based only on the events in the book. Which five objects or documents would you choose to display to best capture the period, and what would each one represent?

3. The book ends with Trump endorsing a comparison of his power to that of historical figures like Napoleon. If you were to write a short, alternative epilogue set five years after the book’s conclusion, what future would you imagine for the key figures and for the country?