Trump and Michael Cohen Set to Face Off in Court Next Week When the Former Fixer Testifies Against His Ex-Boss: Report

Donald Trump and his former “fixer” Michael Cohen have not been in a room together in five years. But next week, they’re expected to meet up for a reunion of sorts, when Cohen testifies against his ex-boss in a civil trial that could result in Trump being barred from running a business in the state of New York, losing Trump Tower, and being forced to pay a $250 million fine. So, y’know, not exactly a “Buddy, it’s been too long, how’s the fam”–type situation.

The Messenger reports that Trump will resume his appearance in the courtroom next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, after a 2024 rally in Iowa earlier in the week. “He wants to be there. This is his personal business, his family business. So it cuts a little closer,” a source familiar with the matter told the outlet. “He wants to be there to take a stand and show people he’s not backing down.” Cohen is expected to testify on Tuesday. “It’s been five years since we have seen one another. Assuming I am even on to testify next week, I look forward to the reunion. I hope Donald does, as well,” Cohen told NBC News, adding that he believes Trump is “scared” and “petrified.”

While it’s not clear exactly what Cohen will have to say next week if he testifies, previous testimony by the former Trump attorney offers some big hints. In 2019, while testifying before Congress, Cohen told lawmakers: “It was my experience that Mr. Trump inflated his total assets when it served his purposes” and “deflated his assets to reduce his real estate taxes.” Asked by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “Did the [then] president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company?” Cohen responded “Yes.”

The New York attorney general is attempting to prove just that—and has accused Trump of overvaluing his assets by, in some cases, billions of dollars a year in order to obtain more favorable loan terms. The AG’s office specifically claims that Trump overvalued Mar-a-Lago by hundreds of millions of dollars in statements to banks and insurers. At other times, Trump claimed his Manhattan triplex was three times the size of the actual space. (Court documents revealed last week indicate that he knew his Trump Tower property was not 30,000 square feet but roughly 10,000.)

The civil trial in New York is, of course, far from the only legal issue facing Trump. He’s also scheduled to go to trial versus the Manhattan district attorney over hush money deals paid before the 2016 election; the Fulton County district attorney over his attempt to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia; the federal government over his handling of classified documents; and the federal government again over his attempts to stay in power after losing to Joe Biden. (Trump has pleaded not guilty to all criminal counts against him.)