During an interview with Vanity Fair , Samantha Cohen — the daughter of Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen — claimed that her father had Stockholm syndrome while working for the president.
“I really think he had Stockholm syndrome,” she said. “That’s the only way I can put it. He saw how Trump treated his own children and how mean he was to them, and I think he thought that if he’s treating me like that, then I am part of the family.”
Although Samantha claimed this dynamic was difficult for her to understand at the time, she later realized the large amount of time that Cohen was spending with the president.
“He was correct when he says he was attracted to the power and the allure, but he also believed he loved Trump. When he loves someone he would do anything for them, and unfortunately he came to care about the wrong person.”
According to Samantha, Trump would often say negative things about Cohen, which she said he “tuned out.” Despite this, she said she was unable to look past the U.S. leader’s alleged treatment of her father.
“He had a twisted umbilical cord to Trump,” she said of the pair’s relationship.
Samantha also touched on Trump’s treatment of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and said her father often said he felt bad for him.
Cohen recently released his memoir, Disloyal , which chronicles his tumultuous relationship with Trump that ended with the lawyer being disbarred after his involvement in a hush-money scheme with Stormy Daniels. In a review published in Mashable , Chris Taylor claimed that Cohen’s book makes it clear he was aware he was getting used by his former boss but went along for the celebrity and power that came with the relationship.
According to Taylor, one crucial source of tension in the book’s narrative is that Cohen is aware of Trump’s corruption but felt a connection to the U.S. leader. At one point, Cohen reportedly admitted that he still retains affection for the president to this day.
As The Inquisitr reported, Cohen also used his book to touch on the guilt he lives with for ripping off contractors and business partners during his time as Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer.
Cohen is currently under house arrest, The Hill reported. Despite his imprisonment, he has remained in touch with media and recently appeared in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, when he warned that his former boss would ignite a war to stay in the White House.
