Michael Cohen Says He And Trump ‘Forgave’ Each Other Ahead Of Podcast Reunion
Michael Cohen and President Donald Trump “forgave” each other after a yearslong rift that led to Cohen being criminally charged and testifying against Trump in court, Cohen wrote in a Substack post Thursday, as Trump’s onetime “fixer” defended his upcoming podcast interview with the president that’s set to debut Thursday evening.
Cohen confirmed reports that Trump will appear on his podcast, which he said will debut at 6 p.m. EDT Thursday evening.
Cohen was a Trump loyalist for more than a decade before publicly “flipping” on the president—pleading guilty to lying to Congress for Trump’s benefit and serving prison time for hush money payments made on the president’s behalf—and has since made his name for years by being a very public Trump critic.
In his Substack post Thursday, Cohen responded to questions about how it’s “possible” he’s made up with Trump after their public falling-out, writing, “The answer is actually much simpler than people want it to be. We forgave.”
Cohen argued “forgiveness doesn’t require amnesia” and said he hadn’t forgotten his past issues with Trump, but claimed forgiveness “requires the courage to stop allowing yesterday to dictate tomorrow” and that refusing to forgive someone can be “simply another form of captivity.”
The ex-attorney noted his 15 years of history with Trump before their “friendship fractured,” saying the two could never erase their “history” and arguing, “Fifteen years doesn’t simply vanish because the relationship becomes toxic.”
He urged supporters to listen to the interview even if they don’t like Trump, describing the discussion as “just two people confronting fifteen years of history and finding out whether something once considered unbreakable can survive something that nearly destroyed it.”
Cohen told his Substack readers Thursday to “listen” to his interview with Trump “before you judge” and claimed the discussion would make “history” in a “quieter” manner. “Sometimes the most extraordinary act of courage isn’t winning the fight. It’s deciding the fight doesn’t have to last forever. And sometimes, after everything has burned down, forgiveness is the only thing capable of building something again,” Cohen wrote. “This evening, you’ll hear whether we can.”
How both Trump and Cohen will benefit from their reconciliation. While Cohen has painted the discussion as just two men burying the hatchet, making up is in both of their best interests. Trump has used Cohen in recent months as he’s sought to appeal his criminal conviction over hush money payments the ex-attorney made, pointing to public statements Cohen has made suggesting he felt coerced by prosecutors to testify against Trump. Rekindling his relationship with Cohen could ensure the ex-attorney—who served as the star witness at Trump’s criminal trial—will help the president rather than the prosecution as the appeals process moves forward. For Cohen, making nice with Trump can help his radio career, as he’s now filling in for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on radio station WABC. That station is owned by Trump-allied billionaire John Catsimatidis, who told the New York Post he asked the White House for permission before inviting Cohen on air. The White House pointed to Cohen and Trump smoothing things over when they gave the okay, Catsimatidis said, suggesting Cohen’s newfound friendship with Trump will help keep him on the air. Trump also has the power to grant Cohen clemency and erase his previous criminal conviction, though Cohen has already completed his prison sentence for crimes related to the hush money payments he made on Trump’s behalf. Cohen told Politico on Wednesday that he wasn’t yet sure if he’d ask Trump to pardon him. “Will I make that request down the road?” Cohen said. “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.