{"id":2138,"date":"2026-06-24T04:15:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=2138"},"modified":"2026-06-24T04:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:15:06","slug":"trumps-cronies-bred-a-vicious-cycle-of-incompetence-and-corruption-new-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=2138","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s cronies bred a vicious cycle of ‘incompetence and corruption’: new book"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The revelatory book \u201cRegime Change,\u201d by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, is the gift that keeps on giving, said MS NOW journalist Paul Waldman. But he said it\u2019s also revealed a \u201csinister\u201d relationship between Trump and his aids that have created a \u201ccocoon of sycophancy Trump has built around himself, with dire consequences for the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Breakdown\u2019: GOP \u2018despair\u2019 as conservatives say \u2018MAGA civil war\u2019 is in full swing<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe president has finally created an administration that works exactly how he wants it to, and the result is a vicious cycle of incompetence and moral corruption,\u201d said Waldman, citing the new book\u2019s insights. \u201cIn short, everything about how the White House operates exacerbates Trump\u2019s most pernicious instincts and character flaws. His aides enable him to be the worst version of himself, and in turn he makes them the worst version of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

His cocoon was being constructed from the moment Trump began staffing up his second administration, according to Waldman. We know how much Trump has always valued loyalty, but as Haberman and Swan report, \u201cthere was a new acid test: January 6.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone seeking a place near the center of power had to say it was the act of patriots who were subsequently abused by the Biden administration,\u201d said Walkman. \u201cThat weeded out anyone with a real commitment to American democracy. And it forced everyone to publicly proclaim a lie. When you abandon your integrity in that way, you become much more willing to do terrible things in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Occasionally someone raises a doubt or gently suggests a different course for Trump to take, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging the president to say publicly he had no intention of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in order to calm markets. Former deputy AG Todd Blanche told Trump there were no grounds to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James. But the authors note those moments of moments of dissent are few and far between, and Trump can only be constrained for a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did get his bogus indictment of James, for instance, a case that quickly fell apart,y fell apart,\u201d said Waldman. \u201c\u2026 The result is an administration full of people who either agree with Trump\u2019s most self-destructive impulses or know that objections are all but pointless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s \u2018aggrieved\u2019 voter coalition has turned on him<\/a><\/p>\n

Few Trump aides called out the danger of sending in the National] Guard to American cities to enforce immigration law, wrote Haberman and Swan report, and the results were deadly disaster. And when Trump suggests the U.S. take possession of Gaza \u2014 a self-evidently ludicrous notion \u2014 no one disagrees. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a strong move,\u201d Communications Director Steven Cheung told Trump, when asked about the prospect, even though Trump aides privately conceded the suggestion was \u201clegitimately nutso.\u201d<\/p>\n

What comes of this are disasters like the Iran war. Vice President JD Vance expressed misgivings about the war, said the authors. \u201cBut with the exception of the vice president, nobody on the senior team \u2014 not his secretary of state, not his chairman of the Joint Chiefs, not his chief of staff \u2014 had made a real effort\u201d to talk Trump out of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a portrait of an unserious president surrounded by unserious people, all bringing out the worst in each other,\u201d said Waldman. \u201cMost frightening of all, there are still 2 1\/2 years left.<\/p>\n

Read more Political analyst nails why the unraveling of Trump\u2019s presidency began with a pool<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The revelatory book \u201cRegime Change,\u201d by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, is the gift that keeps on giving, said MS NOW journalist Paul Waldman. But he said it\u2019s also revealed a \u201csinister\u201d relationship between Trump and his aids that have created a \u201ccocoon of sycophancy Tru…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump\u2019s cronies bred a vicious cycle of 'incompetence and corruption': new book - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=2138\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump\u2019s cronies bred a vicious cycle of 'incompetence and corruption': new book - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The revelatory book \u201cRegime Change,\u201d by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, is the gift that keeps on giving, said MS NOW journalist Paul Waldman. 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