4 minPolitics
Journalists Say Trump Is 'Unfettered' and More Comfortable With Power in Second Term
A panel of Atlantic reporters says President Donald Trump's second term is marked by loyalty, discipline, and a tighter White House operation that has made covering the administration harder.
President Donald Trump is approaching his second term as a more confident and unrestrained leader, according to a panel of journalists who cover the White House, describing an administration built on loyalty and a tighter grip on the levers of power.
Speaking at The Atlantic's annual festival at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City, reporters Jonathan Lemire, Ashley Parker, Missy Ryan and Michael Scherer said the president now trusts his instincts and very few others, producing what Lemire called «an unfettered version of himself» after what he described as arguably the greatest comeback in American political history.
Lemire said the second administration is staffed with «true believers» and «loyalists,» while remnants of the old Republican establishment are gone. He added that Trump is more comfortable with the job and how to use the levers of power, including his relationship with the press and how he has dictated changes to it.
Parker credited Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with helping to stabilize the operation, while pointing to Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who spent the four years out of power «plotting and planning» how to run a «bigger, stronger, faster, better, more ruthless» White House the second time around.
Scherer agreed that Trump returned with a clearer idea of what he can accomplish and how it would shape his legacy. He recalled attending a midterm convention in Dallas where the president's message was, «Vote for me one more time,» describing a different, almost nostalgic approach. «But it is really about like, ‘This is my last chance to do what I can to get to make my mark,’» Scherer said.
Ryan, who covers national security and foreign policy, expressed frustration that the Pentagon has not held a formal press briefing for months. Moderator Vivian Salama, a staff writer, said it is harder for journalists to get scoops this time.
Scherer said the lack of leaks from inside the White House showed how it «operates as a unified body» under Wiles. «The people under her are loyal to her. They're loyal to the president also, but it operates as a functioning organization,» he said. By contrast, the first Trump term had three or four camps in the same space, often warring with each other, stabbing each other in the back and competing for the president.
«It's harder now. It's harder to get inside the room details than it was in the first term, but it can still be done,» Scherer said.
Even with the tighter operation, Scherer argued that the current White House still offers more access than the Obama and Biden administrations, which he said operated like bureaucratic law firms with more discipline and a different ethos.
The panel's assessment points to a White House that has centralized its message and reduced internal dissent, making it more difficult for reporters to break news from inside. At the same time, the president's comfort with power and his reliance on a small circle of loyalists suggest that the second term will be defined by a more disciplined and deliberate use of executive authority.
For voters and observers, the dynamic raises questions about accountability and transparency as the administration moves deeper into its term. The journalists' comments also underscore how the relationship between the White House and the press has shifted, with fewer formal briefings and a more controlled flow of information.
Trump's second term has been marked by a unified staff and a president who, according to those who cover him, is more willing to act on instinct. Whether that approach yields legislative success or political risk will depend on how the administration navigates the coming months.
