TEHRAN — The release of “Regime Change” by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in June offers a devastating autopsy of American power in the 21st century. The book exposes a political system corrupted by spectacle and magical thinking that operates as a lawless cesspool.
World-altering decisions are made in the court of a mercurial king, revealing the war on Iran was not a strategic necessity, but the bloody expression of an imperial presidency unmoored from reality.
‘Farcical’ intelligence and the triumph of impulse
The recent U.S.-Israeli war on Iran was paved with delusion rather than sober intelligence. The authors reconstruct closed-door deliberations, illustrating that Trump “had effectively made up his mind for an attack weeks earlier.”
This conviction persisted despite brutal intelligence assessments of the Israeli regime-change plan presented by Netanyahu and his cronies. CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly used one word to describe the scenario: “farcical.” Marco Rubio cut in, adding, “In other words, it’s bulls**t.”
Yet the machine lurched forward. Trump went to war based on “a good feeling” and the decision was made on impulse, supported by aides who viewed his “adamant refusal to accept reality” as a “mental disorder.”
When casualties mounted, the White House remained obsessed with narrative control.
Another noteworthy narrative in the book describes the aftermath of the American attack against Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day war in June 2025.
Trump vented at Vance when the vice president refused to completely copy the exact wording of his boss, who demanded everyone repeat a specific word despite the Pentagon leaking the inaccuracy of it: “Everyone needs to say f**king ‘obliterated.’… That’s the word. Everyone just needs to copy what I say.”
The indispensable partner and the ‘gold-plated pager’
A staggering contradiction that the book alleges is Trump’s private disgust for Benjamin Netanyahu, contrasted with his submission to the Israeli agenda.
According to the book, Trump called Netanyahu a “con man” who “has no f**king judgment.”
The contempt reportedly exploded in a September 2025 phone call after Israel bombed Qatar. “I’ve done everything to protect you. You better fu**ing go along with this. It’s been going on for too fu**ing long. Everybody’s sick of you, Bibi,” Trump shouted, according to the book.
Despite this supposed humiliation, Netanyahu received everything he demanded. When Netanyahu gifted Trump a “gold-plated pager” to celebrate an attack that killed and maimed thousands of Lebanese, the American elite joked about it.
“Don’t push the button,” Trump said as he pulled the pager from his desk and handed it over to his guests at the White House. One of the guests, Elon Musk, “was transfixed by the device, staring at it intently, silently working it between his fingers like a Rubik’s Cube,” according to the book.
Governance through public humiliation
The book portrays a Washington where meetings function as public humiliation rituals.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was berated by Trump: “You used to be a killer, Howard. I remember when you were 35, you were a killer. And now, you’ve got your beautiful wife, and your big house, and you’re just soft. And you’re a pu**y.”
The sycophantic environment forced Lutnick to eventually respond after he wanted to get credit for the added tariff revenue, “I’m your 25-billion-dollar-a-month pu**y.”
This toxic culture is shielded by a subservient press corps, even though it may appear that the current U.S. regime is hostile to the press.
This book is a great example of how weaponized press access ensures quotes are given merely for self-protection. Courtiers leak information to shape the historical record favorably while preserving their standing.
‘Because it always is’
A chilling exchange captures the severe moral hazard of the American empire.
Tucker Carlson warned Trump that a war with Iran would wreck his presidency. “I know you’re worried about it, but it’s going to be okay,” Trump responded.
When asked how he knew, Trump replied, “Because it always is.” In the evil cesspool called Washington, D.C., he is tragically right. No matter how many innocents are killed, wounded, or forced to suffer, he has gotten away with it.
Trump discarded global norms with a single sentence: “I don’t need international law.”
The authors say that in their White House interview, Trump brandished a document claiming “Donald Trump is, without question, the most powerful man that the planet has ever known.”
He presented it as written by a historian, but it was actually written by the longtime caddy of professional golfer Gary Player.
The document compared Trump favorably to Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler. Trump had no moral qualms about the list and clearly saw himself in their company as “the most powerful” of all.
Ultimately, the title of the book is also revealing, as the regime that has truly changed is not Tehran’s. It is Washington’s, and the world has to live with the wreckage long after the sycophants rewrite their roles.
The illusion of invulnerability persists among D.C.’s corrupt political elite, yet the long-term consequences of this delusion will be impossible to ignore.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
