Trump Appears on Michael Cohen's Radio Show, Discusses Reconciliation
FlatRigor 5116 sources
The Story
Jim Acosta highlighted a moment from Michael Cohen's Thursday radio interview with Donald Trump, noting Trump's claim that Cohen had recanted everything you said. Trump told Cohen, "They weaponized you. They weaponized a lot of people, and I respect the fact that you recanted everything you said. That's a big thing that you did." Cohen has voiced misgivings about his testimony and accused prosecutors of asking leading questions, but he has not recanted everything, stating to CNN, "What was said is said, and that's where I stand with it." President Trump appeared on Michael Cohen's radio show on Thursday, marking a public reunion with his former fixer-turned-foe. Cohen, who served prison time for his role in Trump's affairs, once called Trump a "Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain" and testified against him in court and before Congress. The interview was conducted via phone on Cohen's 77 WABC radio program in New York City. CNN legal analyst Elie Honig stated that Cohen's latest statements demolish the factual basis of the hush money prosecution and conviction of President Trump. Honig has previously criticized the hush money case, calling the process a mess and questioning how the law was twisted. Trump is appealing his 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts related to payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. Cohen stated he felt coerced by federal authorities, agreeing with Trump that he was weaponized by the Justice Department under Joe Biden. Trump's staff reportedly did not expect him to agree to the interview with Cohen. During the interview, Cohen referred to Trump as sir and boss. Cohen recounted a 2016 CNN appearance where he defended Trump against negative poll numbers, leading to Trump calling him into his office and saying, "F them, you're stronger than them. We've got this." Cohen noted that CNN never apologized or retracted anything regarding their poll reporting.
The Spread
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What they agree on
- Donald Trump appeared on Michael Cohen's radio show on Thursday.
- The appearance marked a public reunion between Trump and his former fixer-turned-foe.
- Trump claimed that Cohen had "recanted everything you said," while Cohen has stated he has not recanted everything.
- Cohen agreed with Trump that he was "weaponized" by the Justice Department and felt coerced by federal authorities.
- CNN legal analyst Elie Honig stated that Cohen's recent statements undermine the factual basis of Trump's hush money prosecution and conviction.
Where they split
- Raw Story and The New York Times focus on the discrepancy between Trump's claim that Cohen recanted everything and Cohen's actual statements.
- Townhall and USA Today emphasize the "shocking" nature of the reconciliation and Cohen's agreement with Trump about being "weaponized."
- The Washington Post and AP News frame the event as a "detente" or reconciliation between the two figures.
- The Daily Beast and The Guardian Australia describe Cohen's demeanor during the interview as "groveling" or "sycophancy."