president's former personal attorney, michael cohen. he's the co-host pardon me the host of "the michael cohen show" on youtube. the podcast mea culpa and the co-host of the podcast political beatdown and also the author of a memoir -- how donald trump weaponized the u.s. department of justice against his critics. michael cohen, i can just imagine that you have lots of thought this is morning. >> you can only imagine. look, there's so much that's going on and it's not just hitler or mussolini. these are words that joe mccarthy used to use. the enemy from within and we know all about mccarthy but we also of course know about mussolini and adolf hitler. why he's taking this route. i have no idea. but look at -- look at the timeline of trump. look at how it started going back to 2015 and 2016, when he came down. he descended from the golden

escalator and he started talking about mexicans and after mexicans, he went to blacks and he went to immigrants and then he went to jews and then he went to -- to the -- homosexual, the lgbtq+ community. then transgender then he went to and now all of a sudden -- we can just go on and on. he's talking about haitians and people from the congo and venezuelans. now all of a sudden, what is he talking about? arnold palmer's junk. i mean, let's be serious. this is not a man who the people of the united states should want to have as their representative when you have to deal with serious leaders around the world. >> so mike, to continue on that point. here's how the atlantic sums up trump's rhetoric of late. several generations of american politicians have assumed that american voters, most of whom learned the pledge of allegiance in school, grew up with the rule of law. and have never experienced occupation or invasion. would be resistant to this kind

of language and imagery. trump is gambling, knowingly and cynically, that they are not. and i would agree with that assessment. >> i do as well. >> i was going to ask you, how do you see that gamble playing out? >> i do as well. and one thing that we've talked about here on this show, and i have spoken with you offline as well, mike, about it, i was unconstitutionally remanded. you know, we're all talking about trying to sane wash the words that donald trump says. donald trump, used the department of justice, he weaponized the department of justice, in order to prevent me from putting out my first book "disloyal" and had me remanded back to prison, placed back into solitary confinement during covid. right? for what? violating my first amendment constitutional rights? you know, this case now is -- there's a writ before the supreme court of the united states. it's what judge -- sotomayor.

if you think that this is just -- an anomaly, that i'm the first political prisoner held by my own country because i wouldn't waive my first amendment constitutional right. every single person that's watching this program needs to understand that it could be them next. there are no more guardrails against him especially as a result of the recent supreme court decision of presidential immunity. he will take everything to the nth degree. >> michael. i want to jump in but i think your face tells me you have like a lawyer question you want to ask michael steele. >> no, i just -- disagree with mike. i think that we are at a very interesting moment that donald trump is still able to carry out and behave the way he has been behaving. and yet the american people who grew up pledging allegiance to the flag, understanding the rule of law, are willing to capitulate and give that over to this guy knowing what mike

just said. that their constitutional rights could be abridged if they run afoul of donald trump. >> mike, these are also the same people who -- spent their lives, for example, in church. praying with a bible that didn't contain the constitution or the, you know, the declaration of independence. i mean, i don't understand what's going on. donny deutsch said it this morning on "morning joe" when he turns around and goes i don't understand what's going on and what the american people are thinking these days. >> that's a rerun sir so you know when you were watching. >> i apologize. >> here's my question to you, what's happening with him? like, there's something -- right? there's a certain amount of this that we have seen over the course of the last years, there's also a piece of it that feels like a -- something new. a page turn and his own campaign admitting that he is exhausted. >> well, not only does he look exhausted, he's behaving like

somebody who's exhausted. but i think it goes more than that. he doesn't look well. and he certainly going off on these -- i'm not a doctor so it's not fair to me to say, but it's dementia. appears to be -- in line with what one would classify as dementia. he starts rambling about anything or everything and he doesn't want to have a conversation anymore. so he starts dancing for 40 minutes. and the part that irritates me the most is when people start applauding and he goes like this and then the crowd starts applauding. what's funny about that? it would be funny if it is "saturday night live" but it's not funny when you are talking about the president of the united states of america. the guy who's leading right? one of our two political parties in this country. so what's going on with him? i also think that a lot of it has to do with the four indictments that are still remaining. it's like the three plus the

one superseding. the 34 counts of guilt. the $600 million plus he owes in civil fines as a result of both the carroll and the new york attorney general case. his entire life and his finances and everything about him is going to be completely destroyed if he doesn't win. so he's not running to become president of the united states. he's running to protect himself and his legacy and his money. mostly his money. >> oh. michael cohen, what do you want the american people to truly understand about your experience? and with donald trump, particularly the justice department. how you were targeted. and i say this because there are lots of folks, well meaning folks that don't -- well meaning people who support donald trump and then people

who do not, that still say mmm, i just -- i don't think he's really going -- he sounds a little out there. but i don't think he's really going to do any of those things. it has happened to you and to others and now what we are potentially facing is if, in fact, he is elected, he's been very clear about what it is he would do. >> well, he's 100% -- fill, i happen to be the only political prisoner. right now to date. who's been incarcerated, remanded to prison, because i refused to waive my first amendment constitutional right and that's what i'm hoping that the supreme court will take up in the writ that's currently before them. mark my words on it though. when he says that he intends to go after his enemies, and his critics, why are you not listening to him? let us all stop sane washing his words. i don't understand how, whether

it's the j.d. vances of the world or the other acolytes, the sycophants that are out there. and say, well that's not really what he meant. he's not going to do that. there are no more guardrails up for donald trump. one, as a result of the supreme court recent decision and two, because he's already gotten away with it. knowing what he did to me, that was the beginning. that was -- him creating a playbook for the future. be warned. >> michael cohen -- you are going to stay with us. because we just want to take a very short break and then we're going to continue this conversation on the other side. you are watching "the weekend," folks.

he's becoming increasingly unstable. and unhinged. and it requires that response. i think the american people are seeing it and witnessing it in realtime. and we must take note of the fact that this is an individual who wants to be president of

the united states. and i think the american people deserve better than someone who actually seems to be unstable. >> michael cohen is back with us. happy birthday, madame vice president. i mean -- >> happy birthday. >> is right. >> on the campaign trail. >> we got the bookend here. >> the bookend. yeah. well -- i guess it's lever season. i thought the comments that she just made are -- she said it requires these words. it requires this level of conversation. let's just play this mashup of governor walz and vice president harris making the case that donald trump is deranged and he's a fascist. >> so look. if there's anybody in your life who really meant when they -- donald trump said he called for a bloodbath after this election, if they think he's just talking, i have to tell you this. you remember 2016. you remember the way he talked.

this is not that trump even. this is something much more deranged. something much more desperate. maybe to stay out of prison. and with j.d. vance there. there are no guardrails around him. >> general mark millie. the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. donald trump's top general. has called trump and i quote, fascist to the core. >> and anybody who knows general milli knows he doesn't use the words lightly. i just -- people got to take it seriously. michael cohen. they have to take it seatly. >> you know in 2022 when i put out my second book "revenge." the end of the book, 2022 now. trumpism is fascism and we must eradicate it from our body politic. those are the words that i used over two and a half years ago. nothing has changed and tim walz is correct. he has become even worse.

he's become the absolute worst version of himself even imaginable. and this is not a joke and you know, i bumped into a friend of mine the other day and we were talking about the dancing that was going on. and all the nonsense with the microphones and his comments and this is a super educated -- this is a guy who went to ivy league. he goes don't you find it funny and i'm like yeah, it would be funny again if it was on "saturday night live" but when jimmy kimmel is talking about. it's not funny when it's the president or somebody who wants to become president of the united states of america. that's not a job that's supposed to be entertaining. >> michael. that for me is the core of the problem at this point. donald trump has lulled everybody into this -- entertainment notion of the presidency. that he can -- you know, wax poetically about another man's junk or he can stand up and, you know, make disparaging remarks about immigrants to

this country. and everyone thinks it's funny. what would be your closing argument to the american people? going into this next -- last 1days? >> are you -- like many of us, standing with kamala harris and are planning to vote for her? where are you in that orbit to make the case against what we've been talking about this morning, not just in this conversation, but throughout this morning, about where this election is headed in the next 16 days. >> well, i have already voted for her. i got my ballot. my early voting ballot. because i'm not 100% sure where i'm going to be on election day. and so i wanted to make sure that my vote got in. and what i would say to the american people is we're not living in a kardashian country. this isn't "the apprentice," this is the united states of america and if you truly love

democracy, which you should, how could you possibly, possibly vote for somebody whose sole purpose is to destroy democracy? he wants to be a dictator. he wants to be the monarch. he wants to be the supreme leader and he wants to be the fuhrer and i don't understand why anybody wants that in their life. i mean, the sole purpose of the president of the united states is to represent the people of the united states of america. donald trump does not want that. donald trump cares about one person and one person only. and that is himself. >> did you see the univision town hall where he referred to january 6th as a quote, day of love? well, there has now been a response from vice president harris to what actually happened on that day. take a look. >> january 6th was a tragic day. it was a day of terrible

violence. there were attacks on law enforcement and 140 law enforcement officers were injured and some were killed. and what did donald trump say last night about january 6th? he called it a quote, a day of love. [ booing ] but -- but it points out something that everyone here knows. the american people are exhausted with his gaslighting. exhausted with his gaslighting. >> i'm struck by the fact that she has those signs behind her that say a new way forward. where every time you see trump he has a sign behind him that says trump was right about everything. >> to donald trump, yeah, love is a four letter word and he doesn't even understand clearly then what the word even means. you know i'm very friendly with harry dunn. we've become friends over the last few years and when we talk

about january 6th, we talking about a guy who's like 6'5," 300 pounds and he gets tears in his eyes. there's no love. just be clear about that. there was no love on january 6th. that was a disgraceful day in america's history. and anybody that votes for somebody who wants to turn around and call them patriots and warriors and hostages and a day of love, this goes beyond unhinged. i'm going to go back do what i said before. this is dementia. >> michael cohen, as always, thank you so much. for being with us and you do not go anywhere. there's more of "the weekend" after this. control of your brand with your own custom store. scale faster with tools that let you manage every sale from every channel. and sell more with the best converting checkout on the planet. a lot more. take your business to the

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visit purple.com or a store near you today what i cannot understand is why anybody would think that donald trump will shake things up in a way that is good for you. because there's absolutely no evidence that this man thinks about anybody but himself. i said it before. i'm going to say it again. donald trump is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down that goldenescalator nine years ago. >> well, that's -- >> wah, wah. nothing but himself? go back, president obama. call back. >> that goes right with what

michael cohen was just talking about as somebody who knows him and has been very clear and i think candid about what that relationship between donald trump and people, whether they work for him, whether they support him politically, or they're -- us as american citizens, what that relationship is often like. and it is not a healthy relationship. there's nothing good about that relationship. in fact, there's an interesting piece that's up, you know, by the intellectualist and i'm reading it online a little bit and they talk about that faustian bargain between, you know, donald trump and the american people. and how we continue to sort of stay in the bargain. and i think this election is a chance for us to break that. but we'll see. >> michael. you are busy reading the intellectualists and i'm busy watching clips from "snl." let's play a little bit of

that. [ laughter ] >> but look, i am the only candidate who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations. i brought down the sinaloa cartel. i brought down the other cartel. if i was in "breaking bad" it would have ended in three episodes. [ laughter ] >> madame vice president, are you here to answer questions or just looking for a viral moment? >> oh please, i'm not looking for a viral moment. see how i don't let men interrupt my answers? very demure, very mindful. >> okay. >> well -- mine sounds just like a vice president. she has nailed -- the mannerisms. >> it's funny you say that because my wife and i were sitting there last night watching it and closed our eyes and just listened. and yeah. we thought that was the vice president on "snl" last night. amazing -- >> the hand gestures and some

of the body language. she is got it. here's the thing. the impersonation of kamala harris by maya rudolph in the name of comedy is still more competent and compelling than the reality of what we are seeing donald trump say out on the stump. >> uh-huh. you know, yes. this -- this upcoming week i just think is going to be critical. people at the end of the day, i really do believe that the people have the power. i think that this election is frankly -- it is -- it is bigger than just the vice president. i think she is the physical embodiment -- >> that video you showed of young people? >> yes. >> my goodness. >> yes. i was not prepared for the number of young people that we saw coming out. that was amazing. >> on a friday. >> wearing ties. >> harkening back to the old days when folks fought and dead and bled for our rights to vote. so i am -- every day you know,

people are asking me how do you feel and depending on the days i'm like y'all, i don't know. but i fundamentally believe that the -- the person who wins will be the person that the people vote for. okay? it will be -- i think that the people if they -- there's something stirring on the ground and despite maybe some, you know, faux pas that have been made by the campaign olympic and whatnot. i think people are going to go to the ballot box and vote for their rights and vote for democracy and they're going to vote to just go forward. i do believe that. >> we've got a lot more of "the weekend" after this. coming up we are back in arizona where he's going to speak with former republican senator and ambassador jeff blake who just endorsed theharris/walz ticket. that's coming up right here at10:00 eastern right here on msnbc. style your life the way you want. ♪♪

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that doesn't for the weekend, the sunday morning. a couple of programming notes. at noon eastern, california governor gavin newsom joins jen psaki and this evening, tune in for reverend al sharpton's exclusive interview with vice president harris. that will air at 5:00 p.m. eastern, right here on msnbc. velshi continues our coverage, so we want to hand it over to you, velshi. it is all yours. >> thank you, sir. i mentioned the fact i was getting ready for the show yesterday and i miss e