Wednesday, February 02, 2022

1973, Roy Cohn and Trump


I've often wondered about the relationship of Donald Trump and Roy Cohn, the ruthless and corrupt attorney of the McCarthy era.  The two met in 1973 and Trump claims that when that happened his life was changed forever.  (Do any of you remember when Trump, as President, was heard to say, "Where is Roy Cohn when I need him?")

The relationship lasted a mere 13 years when, in 1986, Cohn died of complications relating to Aids.  It was also the same year that the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of NY disbarred Cohn on charges of "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation". So why would anyone want to emulate a man with this sordid background?

I feel I got my answer when I heard someone close to Trump say that he never had a love that he hadn't paid for.  Aha, I thought ... that is probably true except for his relationship with Cohn !

Always the devious opportunist Cohn had approached the 27 year old Trump in 1973 when he was his most vulnerable.  He showered Trump with the love and adoration he craved and Trump awarded him by hiring him to be his personal lawyer.  Trump had finally found a person who gave him a strange sort of love. Cohn gave him 100% loyalty, adoration and his promise to teach Trump all the tricks and expertise of his devious past, no matter the cost to those he dealt with. It was a triple play that Trump could not resist and the rest is history. 

I can't help but wonder how different things might have been, both for Trump and our country, if the two had never met. 





4 Comments:

Blogger Anvilcloud said...

Yeah, I can believe that he can’t get love without paying for it. And he did pay for Cohn’s really. Or at least Cohn was rewarded.

2:00 PM  
Blogger Arkansas Patti said...

And here I thought Trump was just horrible from birth. Didn't realize he had to be taught. Guess Cohn was his surrogate daddy. Kind of sad in a way.

6:24 PM  
Blogger Marie Smith said...

Trump being who he was, there would have been someone else to do the same thing.

6:51 PM  
Blogger Joared said...

Yes, I remember hearing that comment. No doubt the mix of the two men was not likely to bring out the better qualities in a person. Wasn't Cohn part of the McCarthyism crusade? No doubt Cohn's influence exacerbated somewhat natural inclinations. From what I recall reading about the then young man, our now ex-President, his leader style wouldn't have appealed to me. I think he may have been greatly influenced by his father's parenting techniques and some of some of his business practices, too. Not sure there was anybody in the immediate family that might have fostered any better qualities.

1:33 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home