Key takeways from day 18 of Trump’s hush money trial

Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen faced another day of fiery cross-examination on Thursday as the former president’s defense attorney Todd Blanche sought to discredit the one-time “fixer” as a revenge-seeking liar.

Mr Blanche launched several attacks against Cohen’s credibility and history of deception, including past false statements and guilty pleas for financial crimes – some related to the hush money payments at the center of Mr Trump’s trial.

Mr Blanche zig-zagged through Cohen’s dubious history as an admittedly self-interested figure in Mr Trump’s universe to undermine bombshell testimony in the case against his former boss.

Here are the key takeaways from the 18th day of proceedings.

Mr Blanche argued that Cohen’s turn against the former president was only motivated by his self-interest and that he was lying both on the stand and throughout his career.

He argued that Cohen lied when he said he stated he hadn’t been offered nor would he accept a pardon from Mr Trump, and that he was angry when Mr Trump didn’t pick him for a White House role.

Cohen said he only wanted a job offer for his “ego.”

Mr Blanche played audio from Cohen’s podcast Mea Culpa where he celebrated the 34-count indictment against the former president last year.

“I truly f***ing hope this man ends up in prison,” Cohen said in an October 2023 episode. “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

“You better believe I want this man to go down and rot for what he did to me and my family,” he added.

Mr Blanche was furious with Cohen during cross-examination and accused Cohen of lying about a pivotal phone call that tied Mr Trump to the conspiracy at the center of the case.

Cohen previously testified that he spoke to Mr Trump’s bodyguard, Keith