Jonathan Swan: Trump’s Second Term Runs on Loyalists, Not Just Policy
NYT reporter and “Regime Change” co-author says devotion bordering on faith explains how Trump’s White House functions.
What to know
- Jonathan Swan, co-author of the new book "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump," says loyalty bordering on quasi-religious belief among Trump officials explains the functioning of his second-term White House.
- Swan says the Jeffrey Epstein scandal sent the White House into crisis mode behind closed doors, though details are reserved for the full podcast/book.
- The item is a book-publicity interview rather than a breaking news event, and has circulated mainly through Mother Jones' own syndication channels.
“It’s a belief that this man is a figure of destiny, a figure of history, that God has put him here to save the country.”
Jonathan Swan, New York Times reporter · Mother Jones ↗ · Sep 22
Jonathan Swan New York Times reporter, co-author of "Regime Change"
Donald Trump President of the United States
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Story spreads across social platforms via reposts
The Mother Jones article and its central quote about Trump loyalists are reshared on Reddit, Bluesky, and Mastodon accounts tied to the outlet, extending the interview's reach without new reporting.
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“The word ‘loyalty’ almost isn’t strong enough to describe the bond that some of them have with him. It’s a belief that this man is a figure of destiny, a figure of history, that God has put him here to save the country.”
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
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President Donald Trump’s second term has often felt like an exercise in mass distraction. It's all possible thank the president's faithful loyalists, according to journalist Jonathan Swan. “The word ‘loyalty’ almost isn’t strong enough to describe the bond that some of them have with him."
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Swan describes Trump loyalists' near-religious devotion
Mother Jones publishes a podcast interview with New York Times reporter Jonathan Swan, co-author of the new book "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump," in which he describes the intense loyalty bond some officials have with Trump.
“The word ‘loyalty’ almost isn’t strong enough to describe the bond that some of them have with him. It’s a belief that this man is a figure of destiny, a figure of history, that God has put him here to save the country.”
— Jonathan Swan -
first by Mother Jones, 20h ago
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