Michael Cohen

Cohen Calls Trump Racist ‘Cult Leader,' Says He Disparaged Obama, Black Leaders, Chicago

The president's former lawyer spoke out in an exclusive interview with NBC's Lester Holt

In this Aug. 21, 2018, file photo, Michael Cohen, former lawyer to U.S. President Donald Trump, exits the Federal Courthouse in New York City.
Yana Paskova/Getty Images, File

President Donald Trump's ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, told NBC News in an exclusive interview that he believes his former boss to be a racist "cult leader" who would be wise to resign before he's faced with potential criminal charges.

Cohen spoke with Lester Holt ahead of the release Tuesday of his new book, "Disloyal, a Memoir," which discusses his experience working for Trump.

"In the book, obviously, I describe Mr. Trump as a cult leader, and I was in this cult," Cohen says. "So one of the purposes of writing the book is really from one former cult member to the current ones. I've said this before and I'll say it again: open your eyes as I have. And I want you to appreciate that Donald Trump cares for no one or anything other than himself."

Cohen also spoke about Trump's "hatred" for former President Barack Obama. Cohen said that disdain "basically starts and with the fact that he's Black and that he was the first Black president in this country."

The White House has dismissed Cohen's book as "fan fiction."

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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