Michael Cohen, once Donald Trump's personal lawyer and later a vocal critic, will interview the president; parts of the conversation will air on Cohen’s radio show and on 77 WABC. Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges tied to hush-money payments and completed a three-year sentence in November 2021, says he and Trump have reconciled, citing a shared sense of betrayal. He has criticized the political left and accused local prosecutors of pressuring his testimony, while denying he ever saw Trump with Jeffrey Epstein. Cohen says he has thanked Trump and hopes their feud is over; the White House did not immediately comment.
Michael Cohen to Interview Donald Trump in Unexpected Reconciliation
Ken Cedeno / REUTERS
Michael Cohen, the one-time personal lawyer turned critic of Donald Trump, will sit down to interview the president in a surprise reunion.
Segments of the interview are scheduled to air Thursday night on Cohen’s radio program, with additional excerpts planned for Sunday on New York’s 77 WABC, according to media reports. Cohen later confirmed the appearance in a post on social media.
Cohen, 59, who once declared he would "take a bullet" for Trump, broke with the president after his 2018 prosecution. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations tied to hush-money payments made on behalf of Trump, and received a three-year sentence, which he completed in November 2021.
Cohen, who attended the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, suggested he would move out of the country for his own safety if Trump won the election. / Vincent Alban / REUTERS
In the years since, Cohen has alternated between fierce criticism and public concessions. He testified during a high-profile trial related to the hush-money matter and described his actions as a lapse of judgment: "I regret doing things for him that I should not have," he told the court.
Cohen also pursued legal action against the Trump Organization in 2019, alleging it failed to reimburse his legal fees; that dispute was settled in July 2023 after a countersuit by Trump was later dropped.
Trump, now 80, was convicted in the 2024 hush-money case involving Stormy Daniels — a trial in which Cohen was a key witness. After winning re-election, Trump avoided any prison time.
Cohen's 2024 testimony led to Trump's unaminous conviction on felony charges relating to hush money payments to pornstar Stormy Daniels. / Eduardo Munoz / REUTERS
Why They Say They Reconciled
Despite their past acrimony — Cohen has publicly called Trump a "con man" and a "cheat" — both men now appear to be mending fences. "We rekindled our relationship because of a shared experience of betrayal," Cohen told 77 WABC. "It's really all about betrayal."
"For years, the left... embraced me as their ultimate weapon against [Trump], but loyalty on that side of the aisle is completely transactional," Cohen said on WABC’s "Cats & Cosby."
Cohen has also accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James of pressuring his testimony in cases related to Trump. He has denied ever seeing Trump interact with Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender, and said those statements undermined what he described as a prevailing narrative about him.
Cohen said he reached out to Trump by text to thank him and to express hope that their long-running feud might finally be over. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Note: This article summarizes public statements and media reports. Where details are unsettled or debated in public records, the article reflects Cohen's own comments and widely reported legal outcomes.
Help us improve.
