An excerpt from an upcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, titled Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, details how President Donald Trump’s team mishandled the Jeffrey Epstein case “to a far greater extent than the public knew.” The book describes miscommunication, clashes, and a fumbled response to the scandal that plagued the administration.
The MAGA uproar over Epstein peaked last summer after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo stating there was no evidence of a “client list” and confirming Epstein died by suicide in 2019. The new book sheds light on how senior officials responded behind closed doors, including a crisis meeting in the Situation Room where Vice President JD Vance was reportedly “panicked” over the scandal’s potential to divide the MAGA base.
According to the book, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi’s “egregious misstep” involved handing out Epstein files binders to MAGA influencers at a White House event on February 27, 2025. The binders had not been vetted by the White House, causing aides’ blood pressure to “skyrocket.” One official reportedly flipped through pages to check if Trump’s name appeared. A Trump aide rushed the influencers out, imposing an embargo until after Trump’s press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but the damage was done as influencers waved the binders outside.
The book also claims that Trump “had no interest in releasing anything” related to Epstein, while White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and her deputy James Blair initially underestimated the crisis. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino grew frustrated with their approach. Bondi was fired by Trump in April 2025. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended Trump’s actions, stating he had been “totally exonerated” and had released thousands of pages of documents.
