Trump's White House Habits
Donald Trump leaves ice cream cartons, potato chip bags, and candy wrappers all over his personal space at the White House.
1The Bulwark Podcast
Maggie Haberman: A Gross and Messy White House
Maggie Haberman joins Tim Miller to discuss revelations from her new book, including Trump's health, pardons, and political strategy.
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Maggie Haberman: A Gross and Messy White House
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What to know before you press play.
Health Secrecy
Trump's aides are working overtime to keep the state of his health a secret.
2Political Advantages of 2020 Loss
Trump's loss in 2020 made him more powerful by sparing him from dealing with post-Covid inflation and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
3Legal Implications
The 2020 loss prevented prosecution, leading to a Supreme Court decision that provided a 'get-out-of-jail free card' to break laws.
4New Book Revelations
Maggie Haberman discusses her new book, covering promised pardons and the relationship between POTUS and a young aide writing 'raw' love notes.
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“What are the specific details about the 'raw' love notes mentioned in the book?”
“How does the Supreme Court decision relate to Trump's legal immunity?”
“What is the significance of the CECOT deal mentioned in the episode?”
Background reading
The context behind the episode.
Guests
Episode Participants
Cameron Kasky and Maggie Haberman join Tim Miller for this episode of The Bulwark Podcast.
8Questions
Questions to carry into the episode.
What specific items does Trump leave around his White House personal space?
Ice cream cartons, potato chip bags, and candy wrappers.
1How did Trump's 2020 election loss impact his political power?
It made him more powerful by avoiding post-Covid inflation and the Afghanistan withdrawal, and preventing prosecution.
34What topics does Maggie Haberman cover from her new book?
Promised pardons and the relationship between POTUS and a young aide writing emotional love notes.
5What is the title of Maggie Haberman's new book?
Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.
10Experts
Voices named in the source.
Sources and disclosure
Where this guide comes from.
This guide is based on the episode 'Maggie Haberman: A Gross and Messy White House' from The Bulwark Podcast, published on 2026-07-01.
- Publisher show notes
Trump leaves ice cream cartons, potato chip bags, and candy wrappers all over his personal space at the White House.
- Publisher show notes
His diet aside, his aides are working overtime to keep the state of his health a secret.
- Publisher show notes
And it turns out that his loss in 2020 made him more powerful: He didn't have to deal with post-Covid inflation and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- Publisher show notes
Trump also wouldn't have been prosecuted, which ultimately led to him getting his get-out-of-jail free card to break all the laws, courtesy of the Supreme Court.
- Publisher show notes
Maggie joins Tim to discuss some of the revelations in her new book, including the pardons Trump is promising and the relationship between POTUS and a young aide who writes him "raw" and "emotional" love notes.
- Publisher show notes
Oh, and Marco—who's having the time of his life—was the guy who set up the deal to send people to the gulag at CECOT.
- Publisher show notes
Plus: Cam Kasky on why DSA candidates are resonating with voters and how things feel on the ground around Platner in Maine and Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.
- Publisher show notes
Cameron Kasky and Maggie Haberman join Tim Miller.
- Publisher show notes
Show notes:
- Publisher show notes
• Maggie's and Jonathan Swan's book, "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump" • This week only, a full Bulwark membership for everything we offer on our website is $86 a year. That's 14 percent off at http://thebulwark.com/july4
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