President Donald Trump on Thursday buried the hatchet with his former attorney Michael Cohen, appearing on Cohen’s radio show in what was the first public exchange between the two men in eight years. Trump and Cohen have a tumultuous history. Cohen worked as Trump’s personal lawyer dating back to the mid-2000s.
But he severed ties with Trump around 2018, when he pleaded guilty to federal crimes, including campaign finance violations, and said he had made payments to two women at Trump’s direction in an effort to keep them from speaking publicly about alleged affairs with the then-presidential candidate. He went on to serve a three-year sentence following his guilty plea. Cohen later made a number of explosive claims about Trump in testimony in front of Congress, and served as a key witness in the criminal hush money trial that resulted in Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts.
Read More: Trump and Hush-Money Trial’s Central Witness Share a Tortured History “You and I have obviously traveled a pretty rocky road together,” Cohen said to Trump on his radio show 77 WABC-AM in New York on Thursday. The program will air in its entirety on Sunday. Trump did not dwell too much on the past during the portion of the show that aired on Thursday, but voiced sympathy and appreciation for Cohen.
"They weaponized you like nobody's ever been weaponized, like few have been," Trump told his former lawyer. And that’s a big — that’s a big thing that you did. That’s a very big thing.” The men’s conversation also criss-crossed through a range of other topics related to Iran, the economy, and Democrats.
Cohen appeared on CNN ahead of the airing of the program and commented on his relationship, and conversation, with Trump. All of the name calling, the years of the public war, the verbal missiles that we threw at one another. How is it possible that the two of us can ever sit down again?” Cohen told CNN anchor Jake Tapper.
But he went on to clarify that he did submit a pardon application to President Joe Biden, which he later altered after Trump took back office. Cohen also took to his Substack on Thursday to speak about making amends with Trump, which he said made people “furious.” Referencing the Bible, Cohen asserted that Colossians 3:13—a passage that reads, ”Forgive as the Lord forgave you”—was the “foundation” of what transpired between him and Trump. It requires the courage to stop allowing yesterday to dictate tomorrow.” Cohen’s remarks ring in stark contrast to previous words he has offered about the President.
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