Trump's bluster backfires as embarrassing book roars off shelves

A tell-all book chronicling Donald Trump's second term is on pace to become 2026's bestselling nonfiction title, despite — or perhaps because of — the president's public efforts to discredit it.

"Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump," written by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, has sold more than 500,000 copies across hardcover, audio and e-book formats since its June 23 release, Axios reported.

The book has topped the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list for three straight weeks. Simon & Schuster has since ordered a seventh printing, bringing total hardcovers in print to 460,000, after already adding 150,000 copies on publication day to meet demand.

The sales surge follows a late-night Truth Social outburst from the 80-year-old Trump, who called the book "mostly made up, Fake News, largely fiction" and dismissed Haberman — using the derisive nickname "Magot Haberman" — as "a third rate writer and intellect," notably leaving Swan unmentioned.

Haberman's literary agent, Keith Urbahn of Javelin, called the book "a unicorn of publishing," noting it draws on more than 1,000 interviews with people close to Trump and has resonated well beyond political circles. He pointed out that even Trump's own team hasn't disputed the book's underlying facts.

Among the book's most-discussed details: Trump's late-night snacking habits, erratic sleep patterns, hearing difficulties and separate bedroom from First Lady Melania Trump.

The authors also describe him as an "inveterate hoarder," having converted Jared Kushner's former West Wing office into a storage room for memorabilia, and detail an October 2025 dinner in which Trump pitted JD Vance against Marco Rubio in an informal 2028 popularity contest with Rupert Murdoch.

Trump was reportedly infuriated by the book's revelation that he prefers having a carpeted bathroom, which reportedly sparked concerns from staffers about mold, and a senior appointee told Zeteo the president was angry about the detail's inclusion because "it makes him look so f------ gross."

The book further reports that aides privately noted Trump "seemed old," citing afternoon drowsiness and hand bruising he attributed to a heavy aspirin regimen.

Responding to Trump's dismissal of the book as "boring" and "90% fake news," Swan wrote on X that the president was welcome to sit for an on-camera interview "any time he wants."