Called Bibi a 'con man', said pager attack 'fascinating and appalling': The new book about Donald Trump The New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump details a series of high-profile interactions and controversial statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump, including his public criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his remarks on a pager attack against Hezbollah, and his interactions with figures like Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson. Published this week, the book provides an in-depth look at Trump’s leadership style, decision-making processes, and relationships within and beyond the White House. According to the book, Trump described Netanyahu as a “con man” during a joint meeting with Musk and Carlson in the Oval Office. The president reportedly promised Musk and Carlson that the United States would not engage in a war with Iran, warning that such a conflict would damage his political legacy. The authors note that Trump initially expressed reluctance to support Netanyahu’s stance on Iran but later shifted his position after a meeting in the Situation Room, where Netanyahu presented arguments for a regional confrontation. The term “con man” is described as one of Trump’s harshest insults, reflecting the depth of his frustration with Netanyahu’s approach. The book also highlights Trump’s reaction to the September 2024 pager attack by Israel on Hezbollah, which caused severe casualties. During the Oval Office meeting, Trump described the attack in graphic detail, including injuries such as severed genitals and missing hands, and expressed horror at the “indiscriminate nature” of the strike.#donald_trump #jeffrey_epstein #benjamin_netanyahu #elon_musk #tucker_carlson
Trump assured Musk and Carlson he wouldn’t go to war with Iran, new book claims Donald Trump declared he would not go to war with Iran last year, according to a new book, which claims he told Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk: “We’re not doing that.” The US president is said to have provided the assurance during an Oval Office meeting with rightwing commentator Carlson and SpaceX CEO Musk – the world’s richest person, who recently became its first trillionaire – early last year. According to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, though Carlson had criticized Trump from his perch as an influential rightwing media voice, Trump “solicit[ed] Carlson’s advice, believing he still had sway over a significant portion of the base.” “Carlson had criticized Trump for refusing to knock [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu over the Gaza carnage; now he would make clear to the president that a broader war would be his ruin,” Haberman and Swan write. “‘They want you to go to war with Iran,’ Carlson said. ‘We’re not doing that,’ Trump answered.” Trump is also said to have told Carlson: “I don’t think there’s ever been an American president as powerful as I am.” “Struck by this hubris,” Haberman and Swan write, “Carlson replied: ‘Certainly not since FDR. Really, the only thing that could wreck it is war with Iran.’” This year, on 28 February, Trump attacked Iran. An agreement ending the war was signed earlier this week. Haberman and Swan’s reporting appears in a book, Regime Change, that will be published in the US on Tuesday. Excerpts have included accounts of Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, Situation Room discussions about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and attempts to suspend legal rights amid an immigration crackdown.#iran #israel #donald_trump #elon_musk #tucker_carlson
Conservative Publishing Is Trading Politics for Piety Conservative publishing is undergoing a significant transformation, moving away from its roots in political discourse and intellectual debate toward lifestyle content, cultural signaling, and religious themes. Once a cornerstone of American conservatism, the industry now prioritizes faith, personal identity, and spiritual exploration over ideological argumentation. This shift is evident in the output of major publishers, independent ventures, and media figures like Tucker Carlson, whose imprint under Skyhorse Publishing reflects the broader trend. The decline of conservative publishing’s intellectual edge is marked by a departure from rigorous political analysis. For decades, right-wing publishing was a potent engine for conservative thought, with works like William F. Buckley Jr.’s God and Man at Yale (1951) and Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind (1987) shaping the movement’s identity. These books aimed to challenge the left and mobilize a political coalition. By the early 2000s, major publishers like Random House, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins had established conservative imprints—Crown Forum, Sentinel, Threshold, and Broadside Books, respectively—producing over 50 New York Times bestsellers. These imprints were designed to give conservative writers a platform to activate a political base, as Broadside’s founder Adam Bellow described. However, two decades later, Broadside has lost its way. Its Fox News Books imprint, launched in 2020 as a subsidiary of HarperCollins, has published 17 titles, all of which became national bestsellers. None of these books make explicit political arguments. Instead, they focus on lifestyle and cultural themes.#tucker_carlson #skyhorse_publishing #fox_news_books #harpercollins #ann_coulter
Republicans face growing concerns over rising antisemitism and bigotry among younger conservatives, as influential figures within the party express troubling views on race, gender, and historical figures. Alec Beaton, a 23-year-old former Trump campaign staffer, sparked controversy at a national young conservatives conference by stating, “We don’t think Hitler is, like, the worst person ever,” and praising the dictator to “mess with people.” His comments reflect a troubling trend among some young conservatives who have been influenced by far-right online personalities. Nick Fuentes, a 27-year-old white nationalist with over 600,000 followers on Rumble, has amplified similar rhetoric, calling women “just lie and they’re whores” during live streams. Fuentes also claimed on X, “Yeah we like Hitler. No one gives a f* what you woke jews think anymore,” a sentiment echoed by Gaines, a 36-year-old streamer and author of Why Women Deserve Less. These individuals represent a segment of the far-right online community that has gained traction among younger conservatives, despite not reflecting the views of the broader party. Texas Senator Ted Cruz highlighted the alarming rise in antisemitism on the right, noting, “I have seen more antisemitism in the last 18 months on the right than at any point in my lifetime.” He warned that the issue is particularly acute among young people, especially on college campuses. Laura Loomer, a right-wing influencer and self-described “Islamaphobe,” further criticized the GOP, stating, “The GOP has a Nazi problem,” and warned that ignoring the issue would worsen it. Republican lawmakers, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, have condemned the rhetoric, though some, like Tucker Carlson, have faced accusations of antisemitism for promoting figures like Fuentes.#mike_johnson #nick_fuentes #alec_beaton #ted_cruz #tucker_carlson
