Trump reunites with Cohen and blames media influence
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
US President Donald Trump appeared alongside his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for a radio interview, marking a reconciliation between two men who had become bitter adversaries. Cohen, once one of Trump's most prominent critics after turning against him and cooperating with investigators, joined Trump in criticising CNN and the wider mainstream media, with Trump saying Cohen had been "weaponised" by these outlets against him.
The conversation formed the first instalment of a two-part interview broadcast on Cohen's radio show. Details of the discussion, including any reference to a pardon application, were not fully outlined in the available material, though the appearance itself signalled a notable thaw in a relationship that had been openly hostile for years.
- Trump and former lawyer Michael Cohen reconciled for a joint radio interview
- Both criticised CNN and mainstream media coverage
- Trump said Cohen was "weaponised" by the media against him
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Donald Trump and Michael Cohen were once extremely close, with Cohen serving for years as Trump's personal lawyer and self-described "fixer." That relationship broke down after Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and later became one of the key witnesses testifying against Trump, including in the New York criminal case over hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels. Since then, Cohen has built a public profile as a vocal Trump critic, notably through his own media appearances and podcasting.
The two men had not been on friendly terms for years, making any public reconciliation notable given how personal and bitter their falling-out was. Cohen's shift from Trump loyalist to prosecution witness and outspoken critic was widely seen as one of the more damaging defections from Trump's inner circle.
This story matters because it touches on how Trump talks about the media's role in shaping the accounts of people close to him, and because Cohen's testimony and public statements have been central to some of the most serious legal scrutiny Trump has faced.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those sympathetic to Trump's framing argue that Cohen was a self-interested witness with his own legal troubles and a proven history of dishonesty, including a guilty plea for lying to Congress, and that cable news outlets had every incentive to amplify his most damaging claims against a political adversary with minimal scrutiny. From this view, a reconciliation between the two men is a reasonable, even mature, development, and Trump's charge that Cohen was "weaponised" reflects a legitimate concern about how partisan media can elevate a flawed source when it serves a preferred narrative. Sceptics of media conduct in this area value proportionate, sceptical treatment of witnesses with obvious incentives to cooperate.
The case against
Critics of that framing would counter that Cohen's break with Trump arose from his own direct, firsthand knowledge of Trump's conduct, including the hush-money arrangements he personally organised and later testified about under oath, and that this evidence was tested and corroborated through the ordinary processes of prosecutors, courts and documentary records rather than manufactured by journalists. On this view, describing a former loyalist-turned-witness as merely a media tool minimises the substance of his testimony and shifts focus from the underlying allegations to a convenient narrative about press bias. Those who hold this position value accountability for public figures and are wary of framing that discredits witnesses and institutions without addressing the evidence itself.
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Originally published by The Hill as “Trump tells Cohen he was ‘weaponized’ in feud”.