Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney to Donald Trump, is scheduled to interview his former employer for a podcast and radio program airing Thursday. Cohen, who served as a key witness in the criminal and civil cases against the president, confirmed the interview in a text message to The Independent and in comments to CBS News. A senior White House official stated Wednesday afternoon that the recording had not yet taken place, though Cohen indicated the call was scheduled for Thursday morning.
The upcoming broadcast marks a change in the relationship between the two men, who reportedly met in person at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in the summer of 2025. This meeting followed years of public discord after Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance crimes and lying to Congress, for which he served a prison sentence. Cohen subsequently became a vocal critic of the president, producing books and podcast episodes that often included sharp rhetoric directed at his former client.
Cohen’s testimony was central to several legal proceedings against Trump. In 2019, his congressional testimony regarding Trump’s business practices prompted a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James. In 2024, a unanimous jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. These charges were linked to a $130,000 payment Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from publicizing her account of a sexual encounter with Trump. The court found that reimbursements to Cohen were falsely recorded as legal expenses.
The scale of the underlying legal conflict is reflected in the $250 million civil judgment sought by New York State and the 34-count criminal indictment brought by Manhattan prosecutors. For the individuals directly involved, the case resulted in Cohen serving over a year in prison and Trump receiving a sentence of "unconditional discharge," which maintained the guilty verdict while avoiding jail time. Taxpayers and voters may see this public reconciliation as a significant development following years of litigation and public testimony that detailed the inner workings of the Trump Organization and the White House.
The interview is expected to air in segments on Thursday evening and Sunday on Cohen’s radio show, "When You Know, You Know… with Michael Cohen," broadcast on New York's 770am WABC. While Cohen described this as the first public conversation between the two in eight years, the long-term impact on Trump's ongoing legal appeals or Cohen’s standing as a witness is not yet known. The broadcast will provide the first public direct dialogue between the two since Cohen’s role as the president's "fixer" ended and his role as a prosecution witness began.