Michael Cohen says Donald Trump 'doesn't care' that Ivanka's family is Jewish and he will not denounce Kanye West's antisemitism
MSNBC
- Michael Cohen said that Donald Trump won't apologize for failing to condemn Kanye West.
- The former president "doesn't care" that his daughter's family is Jewish, Cohen said on MSNBC.
- Cohen was asked about a Rolling Stone article that said Jewish Republicans are "begging" Trump to denounce Ye.
Michael Cohen, former President Donald Trump's onetime lawyer and fixer, said on Saturday that Trump wouldn't apologize for failing to condemn the antisemitism of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, despite the fact that Ivanka Trump's family is Jewish.
Appearing on MSNBC with Alex Witt, Cohen was asked about a Rolling Stone article that said Trump's Jewish allies are "begging" him to denounce Ye.
Rolling Stone reported that prominent Republican Jewish activists have been urging Trump to denounce Ye, who has spent weeks making antisemitic remarks, following the dinner attended by the disgraced rapper, Trump, and white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago last month.
Trump has so far refused to condemn Ye after the infamous dinner and, according to Rolling Stone, a Trump advisor told the outlet that they "do not care" about a draft letter being circulated by Jewish activists calling on Trump to "utterly repudiate" Ye and Fuentes.
The former president has drawn criticism from even his own party, such as from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, after the dinner.
On MSNBC, Witt put to Cohen that the failure to condemn might be a "family issue" for Trump given that his son-in-law Jared Kushner is Jewish and his daughter, Ivanka, has converted to Judaism. "That can't be going over well," Witt said.
Cohen responded: "He doesn't care that Ivanka married Jared, doesn't care that Ivanka converted. In order to care about someone's religion, you have to care about your own religion, and Donald Trump has no religious conviction at all."
Cohen added that it "probably" will end up being a problem for Trump because his grandchildren are Jewish.
The former fixer said that he does not expect Trump to apologize for failing to condemn Ye's antisemitism. "Did he apologize with David Duke in Charlottesville? No," Cohen said. "Have you ever heard Donald Trump ever apologize?"
Edward Berthelot/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In 2017, Trump initially refused to denounce Duke after the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan endorsed him. Trump later claimed to have disavowed him days earlier.
Cohen said Trump would not apologize for failing to condemn Ye because he "can't even acknowledge fault."
Trump has not directly condemned Ye, but he has referred to him as a "seriously troubled man."
This weekend, in a Truth Social post, Trump attacked "Jewish Leaders" for their lack of loyalty to him, saying they should be "ashamed of themselves," adding that they have forgotten about his record on Israel.