A criminal defense lawyer argues that Donald Trump follows the playbook of Roy Cohn — deny, attack, never admit defeat — and that voters elected a Cohn-like figure more out of rejection of alternatives than genuine endorsement.
Roy Cohn's tactics — deny everything, counterattack, never apologize — are the blueprint for Trump's behavior and political strategy.
Trump has surrounded himself with allies who amplify and swear by his falsehoods, creating a feedback loop that rewards the Cohn model.
Many voters elected Trump as a rejection of the alternative rather than an affirmative embrace of a Cohn-style leader.
# Thesis The author, a criminal defense lawyer, says Roy Cohn's style of ruthless self-interest — treating ethics and truth as tools to win — now describes the behavior of President Donald Trump. The piece argues that Trump adopted Cohn's tactics and that voters who elected Trump effectively elected a Cohn-like operator.
# Cohn's Playbook and Trump's Actions Roy Cohn built a career on manipulation: deny, delay, attack, countersue, and never admit defeat. The author lists those practices and shows how they map to Trump's well-known instincts: hogging the spotlight, declaring victory even in loss, and using lies as instrumental tools to control and demoralize opponents.
The author points to specific moments that link Trump to Cohn: a post-2016 phone call to Roger Stone in which Trump mused that Cohn would have appreciated the win, and later complaints about Jeff Sessions that prompted Trump to ask, "Where's my Roy Cohn?" Cohn died in 1986, but his methods, the author contends, live on in Trump's conduct.
# Copycat Versus Innovator The author draws a contrast between Cohn and Trump. Cohn is described as the more sophisticated operator — someone who innovated manipulation and knew how to wield it deftly. Trump, by contrast, is characterized as an obvious, flagrant imitator who lacks Cohn's subtlety and tactical depth. The author argues Trump fools mostly those who want to be fooled rather than demonstrating true mastery of the playbook.
# Consequences Trump's strategy, the author argues, has succeeded electorally. He has been elected twice, which the author attributes at least in part to voters rejecting perceived alternatives rather than issuing a wholehearted endorsement of Trump himself. The piece suggests that electing a Cohn-style leader happens when the public prefers a vulgar, deceitful option over the other available choices.
# Public Statements and Echoes of Cohn
# Final Point The author asks a plain question: if Americans would not elect Roy Cohn to the presidency, why would they rationally accept a mediocre protégé? The implication is that electing Trump amounts to electing a Cohn-inspired approach to power, with predictable consequences for truth, norms, and governance.
A new book reveals how the infamous lawyer helped shape Donald Trump.
For decades, Roy Cohn operated at the center of American power, from his work with Sen. Joseph McCarthy to his role as a lawyer, political fixer and mentor to a young Donald Trump. Biographer Kai Bird traces Cohn's life and the influence he still exerts on American politics in "American Scoundrel." Jeffrey Brown spoke
In Kai Bird's biography of Cohn, he looks at how the lawyer taught Trump how to deny, delay, attack, sue and countersue, never admit defeat, side-step paying bills and avoid a paper trail.
The lawyer Roy Cohn showed Donald Trump that you can lie, take advantage of others and be loud — and that will only help you. On “The Opinions,” the historian Nicole Hemmer asks: Who else will take up the Cohn model?
.jpg)
Misc Miscellaneous category. No Placement. A lot a great resin crafts. <img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-ori...
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.
