Trump says Michael Cohen 'fully recanted' in brand new twist
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is portraying his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s warmer tone toward him as a dramatic reversal, claiming his former fixer has “fully RECANTED” testimony used against him.
Cohen, however, said last month that “What was said is said, and that’s where I stand with it,” rejecting any suggestion he had withdrawn past statements.
The conflicting descriptions followed Trump’s appearance by phone on Cohen’s radio show, where the two spoke after years of public feuding.
President Trump announces that Michael Cohen has "fully RECANTED his testimony" in the NY cases against him.
— Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) September 4, 2026
Trump says Cohen was "pressured" and "coerced" into making statements "that were not true."
He is calling for the remaining cases brought by Letitia James and Alvin… pic.twitter.com/eK1Y62pjMI
Trump frames Michael Cohen's shift as recantation
In a Friday, September 4, Truth Social post, Trump described Cohen's apparent reversal as a dramatic and courageous decision.
Trump said Cohen was the prosecution’s “Star Witness” and “in actuality, only Witness” in cases brought against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump called for any remaining parts of those cases to be “immediately terminated and dismissed.”
Trump further wrote, “He was ‘pressured’ and ‘coerced’ to say things that were not true. I would like to thank Michael for having the Wisdom and Courage to step forward and do the right thing! His Act of Bravery is a Great Credit to the Justice System in New York City and State.”
Trump added, “I am sure it was not easy for him! Now we are asking that any remnant of those Politically Weaponized Cases against me be immediately terminated and dismissed.”
“Letitia James and Alvin Bragg broke the Law in order to do this in order to prevent me from becoming the President of the United States. Such a thing can never be allowed to happen again!” Trump wrote.
Asked last month on CNN whether he was taking back anything he had said about Trump, Cohen replied, “What was said is said, and that’s where I stand with it.”
Cohen also said he did not want his fight with Trump to define his life.
On his radio show, he said, “The good memories don’t cease to exist simply because terrible ones followed them,” while adding that reconciliation does not mean “rewriting facts.”
The interview marked a change in tone after Cohen spent years cooperating with investigations involving his former boss.
Michael Cohen and Trump revisit their feud
During last month's interview, Trump said Cohen had been “weaponized ... like nobody’s ever been weaponized.”
Cohen quoted a Bible verse about forgiveness and played “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”
Trump also said, “I respect the fact that you recanted everything you said.”
Cohen had previously described his actions for Trump as stemming from “blind loyalty.”
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to multiple crimes. He told CNN that he did not ask Trump for a pardon during their conversation.
New York allegations add another layer
Trump’s Friday post also came as a New York prosecutor accused James’ office of directing employees to “find and pursue crimes” involving Trump and entities tied to him, according to a Times Union report, published August 29.
Assistant Attorney General Daniel Wiesenfeld allegedly wrote that his supervisor directed him to target “Trump himself, Truth Social, Hewlett Packard (DOJ approved merger)” without a credible reason.
The email was reportedly later wiped from office servers, and Wiesenfeld was placed on paid administrative leave, according to the Times Union report.
The New York Attorney General’s Office rejected the broader allegation, saying, “This is a personnel matter,” and that it “strongly reject[s] any assertion” that it targeted people based on political beliefs.
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis called the episode “more proof of the weaponization of the justice system” against Trump and his political opponents.