President Donald Trump stunned listeners Thursday by sitting down with Michael Cohen, his former personal attorney and onetime star witness against him, for their first public conversation in nearly a decade.
The unlikely reunion unfolded during a 40-minute radio interview that featured Trump and Cohen trading fire at the mainstream media and revisiting the bitter public feud that once tore them apart.
Cohen opened the discussion by recalling his memorable 2016 CNN clash with host Brianna Keilar, who pressed him over Trump’s standing in the polls.
“Do you remember, sir, when I went on CNN with Brianna Keilar, and she told me that you were underwater in the polls, and I responded with those famous two words, ‘says who,’ which became some worldwide meme,” Cohen recalled.
“And then they weaponized you like nobody’s ever been weaponized, like few have been,” Trump responded.
“Well, maybe just you and me, sir,” Cohen said.
“Well, yeah, me too, but mine was at a level that nobody’s ever seen before, but they weaponized you. Tey weaponized a lot of people. And I respect the fact that you recanted everything you said. That’s a big thing that you did,” Trump said.
LIVE NOW: Michael and President Trump discuss 2016.
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Michael Cohen then recounted a private conversation with Trump the morning after the CNN appearance, when the future president offered him some blunt encouragement.
“F— them. You’re stronger than them. We’ve got this.”
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The former fixer argued that little has changed in the years since, accusing left-wing media outlets of continuing to push unfavorable polling against Trump.
“Now, the funny thing is that CNN never apologized. They never retracted anything, and, now, years later, CNN, MS NOW, the other left-leaning outlets, they’re doing the exact same thing, constantly talking about you being underwater with favorability numbers,” Cohen said.
Trump singled out The New York Times as he ripped political polling and questioned the credibility of the reporters behind it.
“The polls are crooked. So the reporters that, you know, are crooked, many of them. You have some great ones too. But for the most part … when you read The New York Times, it’s so dishonest,” Trump said. “When you read these things, and they’re not doing well. Look, the reason they’re not doing well is because they’ve lost a lot of credibility.
“Now you do have great journalists,” he added. “You do have great reporters also. Many people are very good, very, very good. I could name them, but by naming them, I’ll leave some out.”
Cohen told Fox News that the interview will be released in two installments. The first portion aired Thursday, while the remainder is scheduled for his Sunday program, “When You Know You Know.” He also told CNN that he hopes the conversation will open avenues for a pardon and plans to follow up with the administration on Friday.
The sit-down marked a remarkable turn for Michael Cohen, who became a central witness in two New York cases against his former boss after their relationship collapsed.
Cohen also chronicled the reunion in a Substack post, offering additional details about the pair’s dramatic public reconciliation.
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