Michael Cohen is hosting President Trump on his radio show

President Donald Trump is set to appear on the radio show of Michael Cohen, his former legal advisor and one-time ally turned adversary, marking a notable return to public discourse between the two men. The interview, which will air on Cohen’s 77 WABC program on Thursday evening and again on Sunday, comes nearly eight years after their public rift over Trump’s alleged misconduct. According to Cohen, the taped conversation includes reflections on their complex relationship, spanning more than a decade of collaboration and conflict. The interview follows several private meetings between the pair, which Cohen described as part of a reconciliation process initiated through a text exchange earlier this year. While Cohen has not explicitly stated whether he will ask Trump for a presidential pardon, something that would allow him to regain his law license, he hinted at the possibility during a recent discussion with POLITICO. “We’ll see,” he said, adding that it might happen “down the road” or not at all. Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and lying to Congress, has been vocal about his changing perspective on Trump. Once a staunch defender of the former president, he later testified against him in multiple high-profile cases, including the 2024 criminal hush money trial that led to Trump’s historic conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. In that trial, Cohen detailed how he had helped cover up payments to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress, to prevent her allegations of an affair with Trump from becoming public. The fallout between Cohen and Trump reached its peak during the 2016 presidential campaign, when Cohen was charged with campaign finance violations tied to payments to Daniels and Karen McDougal, another woman who claimed an affair with Trump. These charges resulted in a three-year prison sentence for Cohen, which he served. His subsequent testimony against Trump played a pivotal role in securing convictions against the former president, a move that many viewed as a betrayal. Despite this, Cohen has expressed a nuanced view of his relationship with Trump. In a lengthy post on his newsletter promoting the upcoming interview, he acknowledged the “political blood sport” that their public feud had become, while emphasizing the 15 years of friendship that preceded it. “The good times don’t cease to have existed because the bad times came afterward,” he wrote, suggesting that their bond had not entirely dissolved despite the acrimony. Trump, meanwhile, has remained largely silent on the interview, though he has occasionally referenced Cohen’s experiences in court and his criticisms of prosecutors. His official schedule shows him taping the interview on Thursday morning, though the White House has not officially commented on the event. This silence contrasts with the public statements made by Cohen, who has taken the initiative in framing the interview as a moment of reflection rather than confrontation. Cohen’s decision to engage with Trump publicly marks a broader trend of former allies returning to the fold. Figures such as Elon Musk and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have also experienced periods of tension with Trump before rekindling their relationships. However, the nature of Cohen’s connection to Trump, both personal and professional, makes this particular reconciliation especially noteworthy. The interview is likely to draw significant attention, given the historical significance of their relationship and the implications of their respective roles in the ongoing legal battles involving Trump. Cohen has previously written critically about Trump in his memoir, describing him as an “organized crime don” and “master manipulator,” yet he also admitted to having deep feelings for the former president. Whether this interview will lead to further reconciliation or merely serve as a symbolic gesture remains uncertain, but it represents a rare opportunity for both men to speak openly about their complicated past.