“Our next guest is a ‘racist’, a ‘conman’ and a ‘cheat’ – someone who behaves more like a ‘mobster’ than a president.
asserted
who → behave → president
That is how Michael Cohen could have introduced Trump on his New York radio show on Thursday.
uncertain
Cohen → introduce → Thursday
After all, Cohen used such terms to describe the US president in his testimony to Congress in 2019.
asserted
Cohen → use → 2019
But now Trump’s former personal lawyer and self-described fixer had different words: “boss” and “sir”.
asserted
lawyer → describe → words
Yes, the same Michael Cohen who claimed that Trump courted white supremacists and bigots and who arranged a $130,000 hush-money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels on his behalf.
asserted
who → claim → behalf
Trump, in turn, branded Cohen a “rat”.
asserted
Trump → brand → Cohen
Cohen delivered one of the most deferential, fawning, oleaginous and sycophantic interviews in modern broadcasting history.
asserted
Cohen → deliver → history
He rolled out the metaphorical red carpet for Trump.
asserted
He → roll → Trump
He made appreciative noises in all the right places.
asserted
He → make → places
He allowed the president’s lies to go unchallenged.
asserted
lies → allow → ?
Cohen is hardly the first Trump hater to lose their nerve.
asserted
Cohen → lose → nerve
Steve Bannon, Ted Cruz, Ron DeSantis, Lindsey Graham, Kevin McCarthy, Elon Musk, Marco Rubio and JD Vance have all denounced him only to come crawling back.
asserted
Bannon → denounce → him
The man who served prison time for his role in what he said was covering up Trump’s “dirty deeds” has submitted an application for a pardon.
asserted
he → serve → pardon
He also loves the attention.
asserted
He → love → attention
In a long pre-interview hype, demonstrating no spine, moral consistency or humility, he told listeners: “There may be no two people on this planet that have had the justice department weaponised against them more than Trump and I. There has not been two people maybe that have been put against one another maybe, I don’t know, since Andrew Jackson and [Aaron] Burr?
uncertain
I → demonstrate → Jackson
“I mean, the only difference is there was no hot lead in this one; there’s only incarceration.”
asserted
difference → mean → one
Once Trump finally got going, he seemed to agree, but took it further, telling Cohen: “They weaponised you, they weaponised a lot of people, and I respect the fact that you recanted everything you said.
asserted
you → go → everything
And that’s a big thing that you did.
asserted
you → ’ → that
It’s a very big thing.”
asserted
It → ’ → ?
Point of order: Cohen hasn’t necessarily recanted everything he said about Trump.
asserted
he → recant → Trump
He has spoken of the forgiveness that does not require amnesia.
asserted
that → speak → amnesia
He swerved past Trump’s comment, reminisced about the time “you gave me one of those traditional Trump slaps on the shoulder” and griped about the TV networks’ obsession with the president’s approval rating.
asserted
you → swerve → rating
Trump, for his part, embarked on familiar and dubious claims about the war going well in Iran.
uncertain
war → embark → Iran
Cohen wondered why people aren’t more grateful and, disconcertingly, kept calling him “sir”.
asserted
people → wonder → him
Trump referred to a recent rally he held on Long Island.
asserted
he → refer → Island
“I saw it!” gushed Cohen.
asserted
Cohen → see → it
Trump grumbled about the border and how no one gives him enough credit for fixing it.
asserted
one → grumble → it
“Boss,” said Cohen, wallowing in nostalgia.
asserted
Cohen → say → nostalgia
“You remember when I was by your side, I literally used to analyse the polls and you remember how much attention that I used to pay to that methodology?
asserted
I → remember → methodology
I would come in, I would say to you, oh, they’re claiming that you’re 31%, that you are under water, but I showed you that, that the sit –
asserted
I → come → that
”
“The polls are crooked!” interjected Trump.
asserted
Trump → interject → ?
“Exactly,” Cohen concurred.
asserted
Cohen → concur → ?
“The reporters, as you know, are crooked – many of them,” Trump continued, before hitting his old punchbag, the New York Times, and insisting the economy is roaring.
asserted
economy → know → punchbag
When the interview was done, breaking absolutely no news whatsoever, Cohen quoted Reunited, a song by Peaches & Herb from 1978: “Reunited and it feels so good!”
asserted
it → do → 1978
Perhaps he truly believed that the Lennon and McCartney of US politics had put the band back together.
asserted
Lennon → believe → band
But over on CNN, Stacy Schneider, a criminal defence lawyer and former contestant on The Apprentice, had a different take.
asserted
Schneider → have → take
“This is like the reunion of Julius Caesar and Brutus,” she said.
asserted
she → say → Caesar
The Aporia
