NYT Reporter Maggie Haberman on Trump Term Two, Epstein Files, and ‘Regime Change’ | Talk Easy

All that glitters is not gold. Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent for The New York Times who’s been covering Donald Trump for nearly three decades. Her extraordinary level of access in and around the Oval Office has resulted in two best-sellers, including the book of the summer, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump. The new book, co-written with her Times colleague Jonathan Swan, chronicles the first year of Trump’s 2nd term: how the current Trump administration differs from the first (5:05), the “rotating cast of characters” that orbits the Oval Office (9:40), the president’s obsession with gold and interior decorating (13:15), and what his insatiable appetite for risk has meant for the country–and people–who delivered him back to the White House (28:25) . We also discuss the tentative release of the Epstein files (22:03), the ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine (33:15), and how Trump’s health is like “a black box” inside the administration (41:00). On the back-half, Haberman unpacks the early influence of her father, fellow Times journalist Clyde Haberman (47:00), finding her footing at New York tabloids (55:20), how her career took a left turn after Trump’s victory in 2016 (1:01:35), the “access journalism” critiques she’s received in recent years (1:04:33), and why she prefers to make journalistic assessments of the President rather than psychological ones (1:10:40). To close, she talks about interviewing Trump this past spring (1:13:09), a shocking exchange around power inside the Oval Office (1:14:30), and her commitment to covering this chapter of American history until we turn the page (1:30:20). As always, our email: [email protected]. ——— Watch/listen to Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso: YouTube    / @talkeasypod   Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2qoc5EI... Follow Talk Easy: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/talkeasypod... TikTok   / talkeasypod   Website https://talkeasypod.com/ ——— Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a production of Higher Ground Media. Host: Sam Fragoso Producer: Karoline Ribak Video Editing: Alex Dishal Sound Mixing: Andrew Vastola Art: Derek Gabryszak, Ian Jones, and Will Tuddenham Studios: Higher Ground Productions and The Relic Room Social Media: Sophene Kevorkian Photography: Sarah Schneider Research Assistance: Ben Eisen Production Assistance: Anav J Oommen Special Thanks: Victor Shi, Holly Otterbein, Astead Herndon, David Villar, and Simon & Schuster