Former President Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, criticized the presidential debate moderators and President Biden for avoiding talking about former President Trump’s conviction.
Cohen Participated On Saturday, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi weighed in on Biden’s performance, arguing that Biden should have spoken out sooner about convicting Trump.
“He put Donald at ease very much in this debate, and in fact didn’t talk about the 34 convictions until the 45th minute of the 90-minute debate,” Cohen said. “I would have come out right away and started talking about his convictions.”
The former president made history in May when he became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime: A jury found Cohen guilty of all 34 felony charges in the hush-money case in which he was a star witness.
Cohen, a one-time Trump ally who has since cut ties with the former president and supported Biden’s reelection campaign, said Biden should have started talking about “everything” — the coronavirus pandemic, Roe v. Wade and climate change — to disrupt Trump’s strategy.
Cohen said Biden should have said, “You’re not going to hear one truth during this debate, and I want you to remember that when he answers your questions.”
Trump’s former lawyer said Biden should have made it clear he was fighting a “twice impeached, four times indicted criminal” who has bankrupted his companies multiple times.
“And it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it,” Cohen said. “You have to say it a certain way to piss off Donald Trump, and that’s what Joe Biden had to do.”
The spotlight has been primarily on Biden’s poor performance, with his tired demeanor sending Democrats into a state of panic and calls for him to step aside so the party can find someone new to challenge Trump.
Despite the calls for him to back down, many still support the president and his quest for reelection, including Cohen, who acknowledged that Biden may have simply been tired because the debate started at 9 p.m.
“On the day of the debate, while Mr. Trump was thinking about what he was going to have for breakfast and what golf course he was going to play that day, Joe Biden was still running the country and he was tired,” Cohen said, later adding, “You know, the world is a little bit chaotic right now and he’s still the CEO of the United States of America, so maybe we should have given him a little break.”
