New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan wrote a book about Donald Trump and those around him. It is based on more than a thousand interviews (including with the US President himself) conducted by journalists over the past three years. The book will go on sale on Tuesday, June 23, but some media outlets, e.g. CNN, The Guardian And the newspaper itself New York TimesI have already posted the most interesting excerpts from it. For example, Trump likes to compare himself to famous historical figures and remembers all the insults he received. “Medusa” tells about the interesting things you can learn from the new book.
Trump enjoys the title of “the most powerful man in history”
When Haberman and Swann interviewed the US president for the book in March 2026, he proudly showed them a document he had received from a certain “historian.” She claimed that Trump is stronger than the most famous historical figures – such as Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin and Hitler. The author of the document called the power of all these people local. While Trump, he says, has global influence. “They didn’t have planes,” the president added, comparing himself to Alexander the Great and William the Conqueror.
Interestingly, Trump himself last week published The text of this document on its social network Truth Social. At the same time, the authors of the book discovered that its author is not a historian, but a long-time associate of golfer Gary Player. He confirmed that he shared his assessment of Trump’s authority during a personal meeting in Florida. He writes CNN.
Donald Trump generally likes to be praised. He particularly liked how, after his election victory, leaders of big tech companies, especially Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, began seeking his endorsement, even though they had once despised him.
“They hated me,” Trump told Elon Musk, one of his closest supporters at the time. “And look at them now.” In response, the billionaire, as mentioned in the book, described what was happening as “an insult of the first degree.”
Trump was dissuaded from meeting Zelensky at the White House
One story concerns Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the United States in February 2025, which ended in a brawl in the Oval Office. He writes The Guardian. The book says that US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent not only dissuaded Trump from this meeting, but also spoke very rudely about the President of Ukraine.
“I’ve already dealt with this little nonsense,” Besant was quoted by journalists as saying in the book. – He’s cunning. To Europeans, he is like a child with special needs. He acts like Mr. Bean on Crack.
However, The Guardian points out that it is unpleasant for Scott Besant that the book also mentions his statements about Trump himself. In particular, he once said that the US president reminded him of one of the major donors to the Democratic Party, financier George Soros. For my audience, such a comparison would be worse than just a direct insult.
Trump often asks his supporters to evaluate Vance and Rubio
Last October, during a friendly dinner at the White House, the US President asked media mogul Rupert Murdoch to say who he liked more – Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Vice President J.D. Vance. The question was provocative, as they were both present at the table at that moment. The book indicates that Trump likes to conduct similar polls among his allies.
“I think J.D. has the potential to be great,” Murdoch replied. Before the 2024 presidential election, he tried to dissuade Trump from nominating Vance as his running mate. The media mogul gave a clear preference to Rubio, whom he described as a “brilliant” person.
Trump himself doesn’t always like the way J.D. Vance acts. In June 2025, after the United States launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the president announced that “Iran’s major uranium enrichment facilities have been completely destroyed.” The book indicates that Vance suggested to Trump to tone down his language, but he strongly refused.
The next day, in an interview with ABC News, the vice president did not repeat the president’s words about “mass destruction.” Trump was very unhappy about this. He stated that everyone should repeat the word “destroy” after him, and added some obscene words to these words.
Trump wants revenge on all his “dissenters” – even if he can’t remember their names
When Donald Trump returned to the White House, he was thirsty for revenge. He wanted revenge on everyone who, in his opinion, had hurt him. In the spring of 2025, he tried in vain to remember the name of a member of his first administration who he believed had said the 2020 presidential election was fair. Trump himself, who subsequently lost to Joe Biden, does not think so.
Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, recommended by the New York Times, came to the president’s aid Calls Trump is the “keeper of the grievances.” Remembering where the employee in question worked, one of the president’s personal lawyers discovered that his name was Chris Krebs. A few days later, the White House issued an executive order directing the Justice Department to investigate the man. It is currently unknown whether it has been completed.
Trump decorates the White House himself
One day, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt walked into the Oval Office to find Donald Trump making decorative changes himself. The Chief had a tube of superglue in his hands, with which he was trying to attach additional decorations to the marble fireplace mantel. The book’s authors point out that this scene did not surprise anyone in Trump’s inner circle.