Mea Culpa

Michael Cohen sits down with Virginia Solomon for a candid conversation about voting rights, ballot access, and the growing challenges facing American democracy. In this episode, they break down the real-world impact of election laws, who gets left out of the process, and what it all means heading into the next election cycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Cohen sits down with Maria Cardona to break down Donald Trump’s recent 19-minute address to the nation—and why many are questioning what was actually said. From repeated talking points that mirror his Truth Social posts to ongoing confusion surrounding the U.S.–Iran conflict, Cohen and Cardona unpack the messaging, the contradictions, and the bigger picture behind a war that’s becoming increasingly difficult to follow. Is this strategy…or just noise? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Michael Cohen sits down with Richard Ojeda for a no-holds-barred conversation about what it truly means to serve your country. From their shared perspectives on leadership and accountability to the growing frustration with politics as usual in Washington, the two dive deep into the state of the nation and the values they believe are missing from today’s leadership. It’s a candid, unfiltered discussion about patriotism, integrity, and why both men believe Washington is in desperate need of leaders willing to put country over politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Michael Cohen sits down with journalist and bestselling author Michael Wolff for a wide-ranging conversation about the lawsuit involving Melania Trump and the broader dynamics inside Trump world. Wolff breaks down the details of the case, what’s at stake, and how it fits into the larger pattern of legal battles surrounding Donald Trump and his inner circle. The discussion also explores media coverage, political implications, and what these ongoing conflicts reveal about power, influence, and accountability. This is an inside look at one of the latest developments connected to Trump—and the bigger story behind it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the podcast, Michael Cohen and Brian Karem take a hard look at the growing divisions tearing through American politics and society. From escalating global conflicts to deepening partisan warfare at home, the country feels more fractured than ever. Michael and Brian break down the dangerous consequences of a nation increasingly defined by political tribalism, misinformation, and leaders who profit from keeping Americans angry at one another. They ask the big question: when a country stops listening to itself, what happens next? If history tells us anything, it’s that a divided nation is a vulnerable one. Because in moments like this, one thing becomes painfully clear... divided we are doomed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael’s first guest in this new era is Malcolm Nance, a globally recognized intelligence and national security expert, bestselling author, and former U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer specializing in counterterrorism and intelligence operations. Nance has spent decades analyzing global threats, advising on national security, and providing insight into geopolitical strategy. He is also the author of several influential books on extremism, cybersecurity, and international security. In this powerful conversation, Michael and Malcolm break down the latest political developments, and discuss the rise and fall of Kristi Noem. Happy listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, we’re revisiting a conversation from August with Army veteran, former congressional candidate, and democracy advocate Marcus Flowers. Together, we examined Donald Trump’s accelerating authoritarian instincts, from secret meetings with Vladimir Putin and sidelining U.S. allies to weaponizing the Department of Justice against critics. Grounded in Flowers’ military and national security experience, this conversation remains strikingly relevant as we break down how culture wars, fear, and political spectacle are used to consolidate power, erode democratic norms, and normalize retaliation against dissent. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I’m revisiting a conversation with Ally Sammarco, political strategist, consultant, and content creator, to look back at Trump’s speech before Congress one year ago, and why it offers critical insight into his State of the Union address this week. Together, Ally and I broke down the dangerous patterns in Trump’s rhetoric, governing style, and reliance on fear and spectacle, and it reveals how little has actually changed. This look back puts the current moment in context, showing what Trump signals to his base, how he frames power, and why revisiting these warnings matters now more than ever. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I’m revisiting a November conversation with journalist and author Vicky Ward, whose reporting on Jeffrey Epstein long predated the current document releases. When we first spoke, the Epstein transparency bill had just passed; now, with portions of the files finally public, this conversation carries new weight. Ward has explained the threats Epstein made against her, her husband, and her unborn children, and explains the intimidation used to silence scrutiny. As more disturbing details emerge from the files, revisiting voices that warned us early, and exposed the government’s repeated failures of accountability, feels not just relevant, but necessary. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I’m revisiting a September conversation with Charlie Sykes, political commentator, author of “How the Right Lost Its Mind,” and MSNBC contributor. While the specific Trump controversies have changed, the nature of his leadership and the damage he causes have not. Then, the First Amendment alarms centered around Jimmy Kimmel; now, it’s Don Lemon and Georgia Fort. We also discussed Trump’s UN speech, a speech Trump once again mentioned at yesterday’s “Board of Peace” event. And the most consistent through line remains the same: the continued lack of transparency around the Epstein files. The names and moments may shift, but the patterns we identify and discuss remain just as relevant today. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I sit down with Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean at Yale School of Management, founder of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, and author of the forthcoming book Trump’s Ten Commandments, to examine Donald Trump’s leadership style through the lens of corporate power and institutional behavior. An early critic dating back to The Apprentice, Sonnenfeld draws on decades of research on CEOs and crisis leadership, paired with my firsthand experience with Trump, to break down how he governs through intimidation, retaliation, and has an inability to accept loss. We explore why appeasement by universities, corporations, and civic institutions only accelerates democratic erosion, the risks of normalizing coercion, and whether collective resistance remains one of the most effective counterweights to abuse of power. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I’m joined by Nick Akerman, former Assistant Special Watergate Prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to break down Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent hearing and what it reveals about the state of our government. We discuss accountability, prosecutorial power, and the growing strain the Trump administration has placed on the rule of law. Drawing on lessons from Watergate, Akerman explains how political interference, delayed justice, and selective enforcement have eroded public trust, and why DOJ independence matters now more than ever. We also examine the dangers of normalizing corruption, the reality of a two-tiered justice system, and what it will take to restore faith in American institutions before lasting damage is done. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I am looking back at a past conversation with former ambassador, legal analyst, and founder and executive chair of the Democracy Defenders Fund, Norm Eisen. Back in August, we examined the Trump administration’s ongoing failure to deliver transparency and accountability, especially in the case of Jeffrey Epstein. While the DOJ has released millions of Epstein-related documents in recent months, it still feels as though the public has been denied real answers and meaningful accountability. We also discuss DOJ independence, Trump’s two-tiered justice system, congressional oversight failures, and the erosion of public trust. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I revisit an earlier conversation with new urgency. Back in September, I sat down with Dr. Steven Hassan, mental health expert, author, and host of the Cults, Culture & Coercion podcast, to examine how MAGA functions less like a political movement and more like a system of psychological control. Drawing on his own experience surviving the Moonies cult and decades of research into coercive influence, Hassan breaks down why Trump’s followers remain fiercely loyal despite constant chaos, corruption, and contradiction. While the headlines have shifted since this conversation first aired, the patterns have not. Putin remains central, the Epstein files remain unreleased, and collective amnesia has set in around events that happened only months ago. This episode asks whether the MAGA movement is finally fracturing as Trump turns on the very values his base once claimed as sacred. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I sit down with Matthew VanDyke, founder of Sons of Liberty International, security analyst, foreign fighter, and filmmaker, for a sobering conversation about escalating ICE operations in Minneapolis and what they reveal about the future of federal power in America. Drawing on his experience covering conflict zones around the world, VanDyke explains why the tactics being deployed resemble counterinsurgency more than traditional law enforcement. We examine how political theater, poor training, and the normalization of force are reshaping public perception, eroding civil liberties, and conditioning Americans to accept military-style policing at home. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I’m joined by political strategist Rina Shah to break down the growing crisis over the administration’s narrative about ICE and federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. Shah and I examine how fear-based tactics, political loyalty, and poor crisis management have eroded public trust and fueled unrest in the Twin Cities. As senior officials have used terms like “domestic terrorism” to describe the incidents, we confront what happens when optics replace truth and government narratives clash with video evidence. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I welcome back Michael Fanone, former Metropolitan D.C. police officer, January 6 hero, author, and political activist, for a raw and unfiltered conversation about truth, trauma, and the consequences of political gaslighting. Fresh off his appearance at Special Counsel Jack Smith’s testimony last week, Fanone reflects on surviving January 6, the lasting PTSD faced by officers whose lived experiences were denied, and how confirmation bias and media distortion continue to endanger lives. Together, we examine the weaponization of misinformation, threats against truth-tellers, and the growing normalization of state violence. This episode confronts what happens when accountability disappears, and why speaking the truth remains an act of resistance. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, Michael Cohen speaks candidly about truth, accountability, and what it means to stand by your lived experience in an era shaped by outrage and misinformation. Cohen addresses ongoing attacks on his credibility, clarifies the facts surrounding his knowledge of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, and draws a firm line between documented truth and deliberate falsehoods. He reflects on his journey through public reckoning, incarceration, and redemption, and explains why his advocacy for the millions of Americans living with the lifelong stigma of a felony conviction is personal. This is not about absolution or applause; it’s about facts, responsibility, and refusing to let lies replace the record. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I sit down with CNN legal analyst, former federal prosecutor, former senior official at the DOJ and DHS, and author Elliot Williams to unpack his new book Five Bullets and its relevance to the current state of public affairs under Trump. Williams explains how a single subway shooting in 1980s New York helped ignite modern vigilante culture, hardened racial fault lines, and reshaped media, politics, and public fear around crime. We draw parallels between Goetz and contemporary figures like Luigi Mangione, Kyle Rittenhouse, and Daniel Penny and explore how media spectacle and algorithms fuel outrage. We also discuss the latest breaking news from Minneapolis ICE protests to threats of a Greenland invasion. Thanks to our sponsors: Qualia: Take control of your cellular health today. Go to https://qualialife.com/COHEN and save 15% to experience the science of feeling younger. iRestore: Reverse hair loss with @iRestorelaser and get exclusive savings on the iRestore Elite, use code COHEN at https://www.irestore.com/COHEN! #irestorepod Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PoliticalBeatdown Add the Mea Culpa podcast feed: https://megaphone.link/MTH2278738181 Add the Political Beatdown podcast feed: https://megaphone.link/MTH2574573356 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Mea Culpa, I welcome back former U.S. Capitol Police Officer and January 6 hero Harry Dunn for a sobering breakdown of the ICE shooting that killed U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. We dissect the conflicting narratives between federal officials’ claims and eyewitness and video evidence, and Harry explains why training, use-of-force standards, and accountability matter now more than ever. We also examine the FBI taking over the investigation from state authorities, the dangerous escalation of armed agents in civilian protests, the broader pattern of unchecked federal power, and rapid ICE recruitment. We explore what happens when the rule of law is replaced by fear, intimidation, and political loyalty, especially as government rhetoric and selective outrage drive tensions to an all-time high. Thanks to our sponsors: Ultra Pouches: Don’t sleep on @ultrapouches. New customers get 15% Off with code COHEN at https://takeultra.com #UltraPouches #ad IndaCloud: If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping on orders $89+ @IndaCloud with code COHEN at https://inda.shop/COHEN! #indacloudpod Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PoliticalBeatdown Add the Mea Culpa podcast feed: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen Add the Political Beatdown podcast feed: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices