Donald Trump and his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen have staged an extraordinary reunion, years after their relationship collapsed into one of the most bitter personal feuds surrounding the president.
Cohen, once one of Trump’s closest advisers and a self-described fixer, hosted Trump on his 77 WABC radio programme in an interview that was strikingly friendly given their history.
Part of the conversation aired on Thursday evening, with the full interview scheduled to air on Sunday.
Trump Praises His Former Lawyer
Rather than reigniting their old confrontation, Trump offered unusually warm words for Cohen.
The president suggested that Cohen had been heavily pressured by prosecutors and praised him for later changing his account of events.
Trump told his former lawyer that he had been “weaponized” by others, while also saying he respected what he described as Cohen’s decision to recant previous statements.
The tone marked a remarkable departure from Trump’s earlier descriptions of Cohen as a liar, rat and “sleaze bag.”
Cohen Declares the Past Forgiven
Cohen also appeared determined to draw a line under the hostility.
In a lengthy statement promoting the interview, he acknowledged that his relationship with Trump had descended into what he described as political blood sport after years of friendship.
But he argued that the existence of a painful ending did not erase the positive years they had shared.
Cohen said forgiveness did not mean forgetting what happened or pretending the past had not occurred.
Instead, he said, it meant refusing to allow previous conflicts to determine the future.
He summed up the reconciliation simply: they had forgiven each other.
A Friendship That Once Seemed Unbreakable
The significance of the reunion is rooted in just how close the two men once were.
Cohen worked as Trump’s personal attorney and problem solver for more than a decade and was a prominent figure during Trump’s rise to political power.
At one point, Cohen famously suggested he would take a bullet for Trump.
That loyalty eventually collapsed after federal investigators searched Cohen’s home and office in 2018.
The investigation marked the beginning of a dramatic transformation from Trump’s trusted fixer into one of his most outspoken critics.
Cohen Became a Key Trump Adversary
After the relationship broke down, Cohen publicly attacked his former employer through congressional testimony, media appearances and a tell-all memoir.
He pleaded guilty to several offences, including tax-related charges and campaign-finance violations connected to payments made to suppress allegations concerning an extramarital affair involving adult-film performer Stormy Daniels.
Cohen later became a central witness in the New York criminal case involving Trump.
During the 2024 trial, his evidence contributed to the prosecution that resulted in Trump being convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Cohen also appeared in civil proceedings involving allegations concerning Trump’s financial statements and the valuation of his assets.
The Former Fixer Once Called Trump a Villain
The language Cohen used during their years apart was often extraordinary.
In his 2020 memoir, Disloyal, he portrayed Trump as an “organized crime don” and a manipulative political operator.
He also previously described his former boss in deeply mocking terms, making the warmth of Thursday’s reunion even more striking.
Yet even in his harshest period, Cohen acknowledged that his feelings were complicated, writing that he continued to have affection for Trump.
Reconciliation Began Before the Radio Appearance
The radio interview did not represent the first sign that the two men were moving towards a truce.
Their relationship reportedly began improving during 2025, when Cohen met Trump at his Bedminster resort in New Jersey in an effort to resolve years of hostility.
Since then, Cohen has described his relationship with Trump as increasingly cordial.
Trump has also shared comments from Cohen on social media this year, particularly remarks in which the former lawyer discussed feeling pressured by prosecutors during earlier legal battles.
The public reconciliation has therefore developed gradually rather than appearing overnight.
Cohen Is Still Seeking a Presidential Pardon
The thaw in relations comes as Cohen continues to seek relief from his criminal conviction.
In an interview with CNN shortly before the radio programme aired, Cohen said he had resubmitted a pardon request to the White House after an earlier application was rejected by the previous administration.
He said he had not yet received a response and intended to follow up.
The status of that request adds another layer of significance to the renewed relationship between the former lawyer and the president.
Trump Claims He Would Win by a Huge Margin
During the conversation, Trump also made a striking political claim about his popularity.
The president said he believed he would win comfortably if he were able to seek a third presidential term.
He suggested that he could win by 25 percentage points and argued that the economy had never been stronger.
The Constitution’s presidential term limits prevent a president from being elected to a third term, making Trump’s comment hypothetical.
A Reunion With a Soundtrack
The unusual tone of the broadcast was reinforced by its presentation.
The interview was introduced with the War song Why Can’t We Be Friends? and concluded with the Peaches & Herb lyric associated with reunion and reconciliation.
Cohen also reminisced about the period when he stood alongside Trump as one of his most trusted aides.
At one point during the conversation, he directly invoked that relationship by referring to Trump as his former “boss.”
Trump Has Reconciled With Other Former Allies
Cohen’s return to Trump’s orbit follows a broader pattern involving people who once fell out spectacularly with the president.
Elon Musk and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are among prominent figures whose relationships with Trump have experienced major public conflicts before periods of rapprochement.
The reconciliation with Cohen is arguably more dramatic because their dispute involved criminal proceedings, congressional testimony and years of personal attacks.
From Devotion to Denunciation and Back Again
Few relationships in Trump’s political world have travelled such a complicated path.
Cohen moved from being one of Trump’s most loyal defenders to becoming a key prosecution witness and outspoken critic.
Now, the two men have publicly demonstrated a willingness to put their conflict behind them.
That does not erase the legal battles, accusations or damaging statements that defined their relationship for years.
But the radio appearance provides powerful evidence that their once-hostile relationship has entered a new phase.
What Happens Next?
The full interview is expected to provide more detail about how Trump and Cohen reached their reconciliation and whether any of their former disputes will be discussed in greater depth.
Cohen’s outstanding pardon request could also remain a point of interest as his relationship with the White House develops.
For now, however, the most striking development is the reunion itself: a former presidential fixer who once testified against Trump has returned to friendly conversation with the man he spent years attacking.
Summary
Donald Trump and Michael Cohen have dramatically changed the tone of their relationship, appearing together in a friendly radio interview after years of public hostility.
Cohen once served as Trump’s personal lawyer and trusted fixer before becoming a critic, cooperating with prosecutors and testifying against his former employer.
Their relationship began thawing in 2025, eventually leading to the WABC interview.
Trump praised Cohen and said he believed the former lawyer had been pressured by prosecutors, while Cohen spoke about forgiveness and refusing to let their painful history determine the future.
The reunion represents one of the most remarkable reversals in Trump’s long list of political and personal alliances, transforming a relationship that once appeared irreparably broken into an apparent working peace.
