Michael Cohen used to be Donald Trump’s problem solver.
When reporters angered Trump, Cohen threatened them.
In 2016, when Trump announced his candidacy for president and warned that `there will be a lot of women coming out` to make things difficult for him, Cohen worked behind the scenes to prevent two women from leaking the story that Trump once had an affair.
Michael Cohen left his residence to go to court in Manhattan, New York, on May 13.
But now, that past has brought Trump and Cohen to a Manhattan courtroom and face each other on opposite ends of the `battle line`.
The former New York attorney is currently the key witness in the trial accusing Trump of falsifying business records to pay hush money for porn star Stormy Daniels, who provided testimony about an extramarital affair with
Appearing in court on May 13, Cohen told the jury that Trump approved a secret payment to the actress in 2016 and was concerned about how the story affected his presidential prospects.
`He doesn’t think anything about Melania. They’re all focused on the election campaign,` Cohen said.
At the defense table, Trump shook his head.
Overall, the relationship between the two has completely changed direction, but it seems that both of them are controlling their emotions.
Trump, who often criticizes anyone who challenges him, largely sat silently while Cohen provided testimony.
`They kept me here three and a half weeks, four weeks, instead of letting me campaign,` Trump told reporters in the courthouse hallway, repeating his complaint that the prosecution was
`Even so, we still have the best support rate,` he added.
According to observers, tensions may explode later, when the defense attorney questions Cohen to try to convince the jury that this witness is unreliable.
The developments on May 13 were a notable highlight in a long series of disagreements between Cohen and Trump, which began when Cohen was not appointed by Trump to a senior position at the White House in 2017 and received a smaller bonus.
For prosecutors, Cohen may be the only witness capable of confirming that Trump tried to hide the nature of the $130,000 payment to actress Daniels because he was worried the scandal would harm the campaign.
The case is also deeply personal for both men, with Trump claiming that Cohen betrayed him by testifying, and Cohen believes he was taken advantage of by the former president.
The relationship with Trump landed Cohen in prison for three years.
Cohen is now critical of Trump, sparring with the former president’s loyal supporters and recently appeared in a T-shirt depicting Trump behind bars.
What was even more notable during the trial was Cohen’s revelation about his long time working for the former president.
According to Cohen, when he asked about the unpaid balance, Trump asked again if he `wanted to be fired on the first day.`
The former New York attorney said that during the time he worked for Trump, the two talked almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
Cohen even synchronized his cell phone with Trump’s phone to keep track of all 30,000 contacts on the former president’s device.
Cohen affirmed that he was one of the people who nurtured Trump’s ambition to become president.
Former US President Donald Trump was present in the courtroom in Manhattan, New York, on May 13.
`If you don’t leave Hollywood, Hollywood will leave you,` Cohen said he told Trump.
When Trump launched his campaign in 2015, Cohen said he helped plan the splashy launch at Trump Tower.
Then, when the scandals began to appear, Cohen was also the one to resolve them.
Cohen testified that he worked with the Enquirer on Trump’s behalf to suppress two other stories in a similar manner.
Cohen said Daniels’ story was at risk of being exposed right before the 2016 election. The Trump campaign was trying to contain the fallout from the Washington Post publishing the `Access Hollywood` audio tape.
`At that time, Trump’s support rate among female voters was very bad,` Cohen testified in court.
Although Trump spent much of the trial with his eyes closed in contemplation, his eyes widened in surprise when Cohen told of a private call in which he became angry about the possibility of Daniels’ story being leaked.
`I thought you had this under control,` Cohen said the former president told him.
From the defense table, Trump shook his head.
Cohen claims Trump worries that while men might be interested in such a story, `women will hate me.`
Cohen said he informed Trump `immediately` after successfully paying Daniels to keep the story private.
`Let him know I did this, because it’s very important,` Cohen emphasized.