President Trump has agreed to an interview with his former personal attorney Michael Cohen, scheduled to air Thursday and Sunday on New York City’s 77 WABC radio. The conversation marks the first public dialogue between the two men in eight years, according to Cohen, following a period of public legal disputes and personal conflict. Cohen stated that the interview was recorded Thursday morning for his program, "When You Know, You Know… with Michael Cohen."
The professional relationship between Trump and Cohen ended during Trump's first term in the White House amid investigations into a $130,000 payment Cohen made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Cohen subsequently pleaded guilty in 2018 to financial crimes, campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress, serving more than a year in prison. He later became a prominent critic of the president and provided testimony in two New York trials that led to Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Cohen indicated that a reconciliation began earlier this year. In a January newsletter, Cohen wrote that he "felt pressured and coerced" by prosecutors to testify against Trump. In July, Cohen described receiving a text message from a mutual friend expressing the president's empathy for his situation, which led to a direct exchange of texts between the two. Cohen said he reached out to the White House to request the interview, and Trump accepted the invitation.
The scale of this shift involves one primary witness whose testimony supported 34 felony counts involving $130,000 in payments. To the public and legal observers, the change represents a reversal of years of testimony and public statements. Legal experts and voters will notice a change in the narrative regarding the 2016 hush-money payments, as the primary source of the allegations has moved from being a vocal opponent to a radio host hosting the person he once accused.
This development sets a precedent for how high-profile criminal witnesses may interact with defendants post-conviction. It could impact future policy regarding witness protection or the reliability of testimony in cases involving federal and state intersections. What happens next depends on the content of the interview airing Thursday night and Sunday. Legal teams for the president may use the public reconciliation and Cohen's claims of coercion in upcoming court filings, though specific hearing dates related to this development were not reported.