The one big thing missing from Donald Trump’s meltdown about Michael Cohen
Donald Trump went on a surreal bender yesterday about the possibility of Michael Cohen flipping on him, which involved everything from accusations of drug abuse against an unnamed person, to a vicious personal attack on a reporter whose name he couldn’t spell. It was so utterly deranged that everyone spent the day talking about what Trump said. In hindsight, the real news was the one big thing that Trump didn’t say in that rant.
In case you missed it, here’s what Trump tweeted about Cohen: “The New York Times and a third rate reporter named Maggie Haberman, known as a Crooked H flunkie who I don’t speak to and have nothing to do with, are going out of their way to destroy Michael Cohen and his relationship with me in the hope that he will “flip.” They use non-existent “sources” and a drunk/drugged up loser who hates Michael, a fine person with a wonderful family. Michael is a businessman for his own account/lawyer who I have always liked & respected. Most people will flip if the Government lets them out of trouble, even if it means lying or making up stories. Sorry, I don’t see Michael doing that despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!”
Did you catch what’s missing? He attacked the reporter. He attacked the legitimacy of her unnamed sources. He accused one of her named sources of being a drunk and a drug addict. Here’s what Trump left out: he didn’t actually assert that the claims being made in the New York Times story are false. The story in question quoted several of Trump’s associates who believe that Cohen might flip on him. Trump isn’t actually arguing that the story is false; he’s just attacking everyone involved with the story.
In other words, Donald Trump isn’t willing or able to flatly accuse the New York Times story of being wrong, because he can’t make the argument that he knows Michael Cohen isn’t going to flip on him. In fact, if you’re confident someone isn’t going to flip on you, it means you don’t have to try to convince that person not to flip on you in public. Trump defeated his own cause here.
