Cohen: Trump 'doesn't have a sense of humor,' isn't joking about being POTUS for '12 more years'
President Trump is dead serious when he says he wants to be in the White House for 12 more years, Michael Cohen, his former personal attorney and fixer, said on Tuesday.
Cohen's new book about his time working for Trump, Disloyal: A Memoir, was published Tuesday, and he appeared on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show to discuss it. Cohen said Trump has changed dramatically and is "not the same person I knew going back years ago. He was always gruff, he was always a certain way, but the power he now has has gone to his head."
Above all else, Trump wants to be an "autocrat," Cohen said. "He wants to be the president for life. He wants to be just like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, just like [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un, just like [Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro, just like [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammad bin Salman. He craves this. He doesn't want to run for president, and that's why he says, 'What about 12 more years, 12 more years.' He's not joking."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump isn't capable of wisecracking because he "doesn't have a sense of humor," Cohen said. "He doesn't laugh, he doesn't tell jokes, he doesn't have a sense of humor. He means it when he says it." Cohen likened Trump to a "cult leader," and said he wrote Disloyal in an attempt to "really open the eyes of the 38 percent, the base of his, that no matter what Donald Trump does, it's acceptable to them. He doesn't care and they don't care. He wasn't joking again when he said that he could kill somebody on 5th Avenue and get away with it. He means it." Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
What have we learned from week one of Trump 2.0?
Today's Big Question After five days in power, Donald Trump has wasted little time pushing boundaries
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Measuring isolation isn't a good way to track loneliness'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is it worth renovating before listing your home?
The explainer Getting your house in top-notch shape will help attract potential buyers, but not all renovations are worth the money
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Trump orders release of JFK, RFK, MLK Jr. files
Speed Read The president signed an executive order to release classified documents related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge pauses Trump's birthright citizenship ban
Speed Read A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's 'unconstitutional' executive order to overturn birthright citizenship
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DOJ threatens local officials on migrant crackdown
Speed Read Federal prosecutors have been told to investigate any official who obstructs Trump's deportation efforts
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Senate learns new Hegseth abuse, drinking allegations
speed read The former sister-in-law of Donald Trump's defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, claims he was abusive
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump pardons Silk Road founder, defends Jan. 6 acts
Speed Read President Donald Trump made good with libertarians and crypto enthusiasts in pardoning Ross Ulbricht
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump starts term with spate of executive orders
Speed Read The president is rolling back many of Joe Biden's climate and immigration policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump pardons or commutes all charged Jan. 6 rioters
Speed Read The new president pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged with crimes related to the Capitol riot
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published