Takeaways from Trump trial closing arguments: Jurors get dueling portraits of Michael Cohen

At times Tuesday, it was difficult to tell whether former President Donald Trump or his former ally Michael Cohen was on trial.

A largely stoic Trump nearly faded into the background as lawyers for the prosecution and defense laid out their "summations" — closing arguments — in his hush-money case in a worn-down New York courtroom.

Jurors were treated to dueling portrayals of Cohen, the star witness at the trial, and the relative significance of both his history of lies and the testimony he provided in the case. Judge Juan Merchan kept court in session into the evening in order to inch closer to the point at which Trump's fate is handed to the jury.

Here are four takeaways from Day 21 of the first trial of a former U.S. president:

Ten things the defense hates about Michael Cohen

Defense lawyer Todd Blanche focused much of his three-hour closing argument on Cohen, the onetime fixer for Trump whose colorful testimony and past often overshadowed other elements of the trial.

"He is biased and motivated to tell you a story that is not true," Blanche said. "Michael Cohen is the GLOAT — he's literally the Greatest Liar of All Time."

Cohen is at the center of a list, called "10 reasons why you have reasonable doubt," that Blanche used to organize the case that jurors should find Trump not guilty on all the counts.

Cohen's credibility matters so much to the defense because his testimony tended to corroborate the state's narrative. Trump is charged with falsifying business records to hide hush-money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels in order to helphis successful 2016 campaign for the presidency.

Blanche argued that there is no evidence Trump knew about — or had any fraudulent intent surrounding — invoices for payments