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The post appeared to have been triggered by a podcast interview with the president’s former fixer.
Whether you agree or disagree with his policies and actions, you cannot deny that Donald Trump being president of the United States means there is always something new to read about.
But even though what comes from the POTUS is new, the background behind a certain social media post or statement can easily be traced back quite a long time.
As is the case with a late-night post on Truth Social published by Trump last night.
Late-night venting
Donald Trump took to his Truth Social account just after 1 a.m. EST to unleash a furious demand. He wants his civil and criminal court losses in New York completely thrown out.
The spark came from a recent podcast appearance by his former attorney. Speaking on Michael Smerconish’s show, Michael Cohen aired his grievances.
According to the podcast interview, the former fixer complained about being “cancelled by both the far right and the far left.”
He also claimed that he was “coerced and pressured” to testify against his former boss during the Stormy Daniels hush-money investigation.
Remembering the case
The legal battle stems from a $130,000 hush-money payment made by Donald Trump’s then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, to adult film actress Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election to silence her about an alleged 2006 affair.
While hush money is not illegal, prosecutors argued that the Trump Organization improperly disguised Cohen’s 2017 reimbursements as routine “legal expenses” to conceal a violation of state election law.
The cover-up led to a historic Manhattan trial in which a New York jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on May 30, 2024.
Following his subsequent 2024 presidential victory, Trump’s sentencing was postponed, culminating in an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025.
The legal cudgel
Trump pounced on these comments immediately. After a busy evening endorsing various Republican candidates, the president shifted focus to his own legal woes.
He attempted to use the podcast clip as a weapon to overturn his convictions. Referring to Cohen as a star witness, Trump lashed out at his prosecutors.
“When a Star Witness totally recants, and in every way reveals that he was pressured and coerced to give testimony, and when the Prosecutor admits that this Witness was the single reason that the case was brought, there was no other, how can that Case not be immediately dismissed?” Trump wrote online.
He blasted District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Attorney General Letitia James. In his view, they forced Cohen to testify as part of a political witch hunt.
Demanding immediate dismissal
The president claimed that the legal testimony had been completely undermined by these new podcast comments.
“Now that his testimony is wiped away,” Trump posted, demanding that the courts immediately dismiss his cases once and for all.
He demanded that the prosecutors face serious criminal consequences for their actions. Trump wrapped up his post by proclaiming his total innocence.
“I am an innocent man who has been horribly treated. Hopefully the Courts will do what everyone knows should be done,” Trump concluded.
According to Raw Story and The New Republic, Cohen’s podcast comments do not mean that his testimony has been removed from court records.
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Sources: Donald Trump Truth Social post, Michael Smerconish Podcast, Raw Story, The New Republic
