A new book about Donald Trump's second term is doing something that publishers thought was no longer possible in the current media landscape: selling like it's 2018 all over again. Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, written by veteran political reporters Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, has become one of the biggest nonfiction hits of the year — and even the president himself hasn't been able to look away.
The Book That Publishers Didn't See Coming
According to publisher Simon & Schuster, Regime Change sold more than 300,000 copies in its opening week alone, counting preorders, print sales, ebooks, and audiobooks. That figure reportedly makes it the best first-week performance of any hardcover nonfiction title in 2026. The book has already gone into its third print run, with another 200,000 copies on order after quickly selling out in stores and online.
That kind of number was common for Trump-focused books during his first term, when titles from insiders and journalists regularly topped bestseller lists. But industry watchers had assumed the appetite for these books had faded during his second term, figuring the public felt there was little left to learn. Jonathan Swan's book, co-written with Haberman, appears to have proven that theory wrong.
Who Are Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman?
Both authors are White House correspondents for The New York Times with long histories covering Trump. Maggie Haberman has covered the president since his days as a New York City business and tabloid fixture, and was previously part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team for reporting on his advisers' ties to Russia. She's also the author of a previous bestseller on Trump's first term.
Jonathan Swan, originally from Sydney, Australia, has covered all three of Trump's presidential campaigns and both of his terms in office, first at Axios and The Hill before joining the Times. He's also known for a widely discussed televised interview with Trump. Swan is married to fellow journalist Betsy Woodruff Swan, and the two are often mentioned together given their overlapping careers covering Washington politics — though it's Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, not Betsy Woodruff Swan, who co-authored Regime Change. Betsy Woodruff Swan has built her own reputation as a respected reporter covering the Justice Department and national politics, and fans of both journalists often search for how the couple's careers intersect.
What's Actually Inside Regime Change
The book is built on what the authors describe as more than a thousand interviews conducted over roughly two years. Its central argument is one that Trump himself reportedly believes: that losing the 2020 election and facing years of legal battles afterward didn't weaken him — it made him more powerful, more willing to take risks, and more determined to reshape the presidency around his own instincts.
Among the topics covered:
- Oval Office deliberations tied to a new conflict in the Middle East
- The administration's approach to border security and National Guard deployments
- Claims that the Justice Department has been used to pursue political opponents
- Behind-the-scenes accounts of Situation Room meetings, including discussions related to the Epstein files
- A shift from the more traditional, establishment-minded advisers of Trump's first term to a smaller, more insulated inner circle in his second
The book also includes lighter, more personal details — including anecdotes about life inside the White House residence — that have drawn attention on social media and cable news alike.
How Trump Himself Reacted
True to form, Trump didn't stay quiet about the book. He publicly dismissed it as largely inaccurate, calling it "mostly made up" and criticizing Haberman personally in a social media post. Despite — or perhaps partly because of — the criticism, the book's sales only seemed to accelerate, with bookstores and online retailers struggling to keep it in stock.
Critics, meanwhile, have been largely impressed. The New Yorker's David Remnick called it exceptional reporting that "transcends its genre," while a review in The New York Times credited the authors with cutting through the noise Trump has built around himself. The Wall Street Journal's review framed the book as a warning about the state of the presidency itself.
Why Regime Change Is Resonating Right Now
Part of what's driving interest in Regime Change is timing. Coming out during a politically turbulent stretch of Trump's second term, the book taps into intense public curiosity about how power is actually being exercised behind closed doors. Combine that with Haberman and Swan's reputations as two of the most plugged-in reporters covering the administration, and it's easy to see why readers across the political spectrum have been picking it up — whether out of genuine curiosity, political opposition, or simple fascination with the inner workings of the West Wing.
Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: even the subject of the book can't quite believe how well it's selling.
Have you read Regime Change yet? Share your thoughts on Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman's reporting in the comments below.
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