Mr Trump’s more than my boss, he’s a patriarch
MICHAEL COHEN doesn’t sleep much. As Donald Trump’s right-hand man, there’s no time to do so at the moment. In his own words, as Trump’s Special Counsel and Executive Vice President of the Trump Organisation, he handles “everything” that personally affects the Republican candidate, who is currently the frontrunner for the US presidency.
It’s a wide job description but one to which he has grown accustomed. Speaking from his plush New York office, the 49-year-old answers the phone call with a strong, emphatically American: “Mike Cohen”.
He’s firm, brusque and refreshingly free of insipid lines. It’s clear he’s got a long list of things to do today. “I’m really busy,” he says. “I don’t really sleep much. I am used to living this life, with only a few hours’ of sleep.”
Yet he’s reluctant to describe his environment as a tough one in which to work. “Like Mr Trump, I do not require much sleep,” he says. “This affords me the opportunity to tackle issues early while most people are still asleep.’’
So with no clear job description, what has Cohen, personally, done to boost Trump’s profile?
In response to the question, Cohen does what any seasoned politico (or perhaps any rabbi) would do. He answers my question, with a question. “How do you raise the profile of an individual who is already the most famous person on the planet?” he asks.
“My job is to protect him from all those who seek to malign him, the company or any of his vast corporate entities. As to the campaign, I only take a role when it affects Mr Trump personally.”
For the past decade, Cohen has worked closely with the American billionaire. Formerly a partner at top New York law firm Phillips Nizer, he counted the businessman as one of his many high-profile wealthy clients. He was then offered a job by Mr Trump, because: “I suspect he was impressed with both my handling of matters as well as the results.”
Since then, he has watched his boss turn his attention from conquering the business world to attempting to lead the free one. And he has witnessed the rise of socalled Trump Mania, with a mob of baying fans flocking to support the presidential hopeful in everything from mass rallies to social media campaigns.
On Tuesday night, Mr Trump won the Republican Florida primary by a storm – and dashed the hopes of Marco Rubio.
The Hispanic senator had condemned his opponent “for jumping on people’s anxieties,” adding that Trump had voiced “the politics of resentment”. During his campaign, the frontrunner has been condemned for a series of racist remarks about Muslims and Mexicans.
Rubio’s departure has narrowed the party’s race to three contenders: Trump, Texas senator Ted Cruz and John Kasich, the Ohio governor. But it is Trump who is the bookies’ favourite to take on the Democrats’ likely candidate Hillary Clinton. And though Mr Cohen is still a registered Democrat who voted to elect Barack Obama in 2008, he’s confident in his belief that the next inhabitant of the