Eric Trump's tragic Fox News interview

David Pakman Show
14 May 202406:24

Summary

TLDRIn a recent Fox News interview, Eric Trump attempted to address the damaging testimony provided by Michael Cohen in Donald Trump's criminal trial. However, his defense of his father contradicted both the facts of the case and Trump's own previous statements. Eric claimed the trial revolved around a $130,000 payment made by Trump as a legal expense, which conflicted with Trump's assertion that the payments were for ongoing legal services by Cohen. Furthermore, Eric's stance on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) directly opposed the defense's claim that Trump was uninvolved with the NDAs. When pressed by Laura Ingram on whether Trump personally approved all actions, as Cohen testified, Eric avoided answering directly and instead accused radical prosecutors, funded by George Soros, of targeting Trump. The interview highlighted inconsistencies in the Trump family's narrative and raised further questions about their credibility.

Takeaways

  • 📈 Eric Trump's appearance on Fox News with Laura Ingram was considered disastrous due to contradictions and dishonesty.
  • 💰 Eric claimed the trial revolves around a $130,000 payment made by Trump, which he described as a legal expense, contradicting previous statements.
  • 🔍 Trump's earlier statements indicated that the payments were for ongoing legal services provided by Michael Cohen in 2017.
  • 📄 The hush money invoices have handwriting from Allen Weisselberg, CFO of the Trump Organization, suggesting a cover-up of campaign funds.
  • 🚫 Eric's defense of his father conflicts with Trump's own defense, creating internal inconsistency within their legal narrative.
  • 🤫 Eric Trump did not directly answer questions about whether Trump personally approved all actions as claimed by Michael Cohen.
  • 🤔 Eric avoided addressing the issue of NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), which are central to the case, and their legality.
  • 🚨 Eric suggested a conspiracy against his father, blaming radical prosecutors funded by George Soros for targeting Trump.
  • 🔁 The defense strategy for Trump seems to follow a pattern of denial, claims of being set up, and attempts to normalize the behavior by saying it's common practice.
  • 🗣️ Eric Trump's interview showcased an unwillingness to engage with specific questions and a tendency to pivot to broader accusations.
  • 🏛️ The discussion highlights the complexity of the legal situation and the challenges faced by the defense in maintaining a consistent narrative.

Q & A

  • What was the context of Michael Cohen's testimony in Donald Trump's criminal trial?

    -Michael Cohen's testimony was very damaging to Donald Trump, as it implicated him in various legal issues, which was followed by Eric Trump's attempt to do damage control on Fox News.

  • Why was Eric Trump's appearance on Fox News considered disastrous?

    -Eric Trump's appearance was disastrous because he contradicted the facts of the case, the legal situation, and the arguments made by Trump's defense attorneys.

  • What was the discrepancy between Eric Trump's and Donald Trump's statements regarding the $130,000 payment?

    -Eric Trump claimed the payment was made in an individual capacity and booked as a legal expense, while Donald Trump previously stated that the payments were for legal services performed by Michael Cohen on a monthly basis in 2017.

  • What role did Allen Weisselberg, the CFO of the Trump Organization, play in the controversy?

    -Allen Weisselberg's handwriting was found on the invoices related to the hush money, suggesting that the Trump Organization was involved in structuring the payments.

  • How did Eric Trump's defense of his father conflict with the defense strategy?

    -Eric Trump's defense implied that Donald Trump was involved with the NDAs, while the defense attorneys argued that Trump had nothing to do with the NDAs, creating an inconsistency in their narratives.

  • What was the significance of the question about whether Trump personally signed off on everything?

    -The question aimed to clarify if Donald Trump was directly involved in approving the actions that Michael Cohen testified about, which is crucial for establishing Trump's level of involvement and potential liability.

  • Why did Eric Trump avoid answering the question about his father's direct involvement?

    -Eric Trump did not answer the question directly, possibly to avoid implicating his father further or providing information that could be used against Trump in the legal proceedings.

  • What was the implication of Eric Trump's statement about NDAs being common in organizations?

    -Eric Trump's statement suggested that the use of NDAs was a standard practice and not a problem unique to his father's case, which could be an attempt to normalize the behavior in question.

  • How did Eric Trump's interview end?

    -The interview ended with Eric Trump avoiding the direct question about his father's involvement and instead blaming external forces, specifically mentioning George Soros, for the legal challenges faced by Donald Trump.

  • What was the claim made by Eric Trump regarding the prosecutors going after Donald Trump?

    -Eric Trump claimed that the prosecutors, who were allegedly funded by George Soros, had a mission to go after Donald Trump because he was winning, suggesting a coordinated effort against his father.

  • What is the general strategy of defense that Eric Trump and the defense attorneys seem to be employing?

    -The defense strategy appears to involve denial of wrongdoing, claims of being set up, arguments that the actions were legal or common practice, and attempts to discredit the prosecution or implicate external forces.

Outlines

00:00

📛 Eric Trump's Damage Control Interview

In this segment, Eric Trump's appearance on Fox News with Laura Ingram is discussed. The interview is described as disastrous due to Eric's contradictions regarding the $130,000 payment made by Donald Trump, which he claims was a personal legal expense. This statement conflicts with Donald Trump's previous assertions that the payments were for ongoing legal services by Michael Cohen. The summary also highlights the issue of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), where Eric Trump's defense of his father's involvement contrasts with the defense team's claim that Trump was not involved with the NDAs. Furthermore, Eric Trump avoids answering whether his father personally approved all actions as testified by Michael Cohen. The segment ends with Eric Trump deflecting by suggesting a politically motivated attack on his father, implicating funding from George Soros.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen is a former attorney for Donald Trump who testified in a criminal trial against Trump. His testimony was considered damaging to Trump as it implicated him in various legal issues. In the script, his testimony is a central point of discussion, particularly his claims about payments and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

💡Eric Trump

Eric Trump is the son of Donald Trump and a figure in his father's business empire. In the script, he is portrayed as having given a disastrous interview on Fox News with Laura Ingram, where he attempted to defend his father against allegations stemming from Michael Cohen's testimony.

💡Fox News

Fox News is an American news channel often associated with conservative viewpoints. In the script, it is the platform where Eric Trump's interview took place, which is described as an attempt to do damage control for his father's legal situation.

💡$130,000 payment

This refers to a payment made by Donald Trump, which is a central point of contention in the legal case discussed in the script. Eric Trump claims it was a personal payment to Michael Cohen, which contradicts previous statements about the nature of the payment.

💡Legal expense

A legal expense is a cost incurred for legal services or proceedings. In the script, Eric Trump describes the $130,000 payment as a legal expense, which is a key point of contention as it relates to the alleged mishandling of campaign funds.

💡Allen Weisselberg

Allen Weisselberg is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Trump Organization. His handwriting is mentioned on invoices related to the hush money payments, which are part of the legal issues being discussed in the script.

💡Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

NDAs are legal contracts that require parties not to disclose certain information. In the script, Eric Trump defends the use of NDAs, while the defense team argues that Trump was not involved with them, creating a contradiction.

💡Campaign funds

Campaign funds refer to the money raised or spent in support of a political campaign. The script suggests that the $130,000 payment was structured as monthly payments to disguise the fact that these were actually campaign funds.

💡George Soros

George Soros is a billionaire investor and philanthropist who has been the subject of various conspiracy theories. In the script, Eric Trump is criticized for blaming Soros, implying a conspiracy, rather than addressing the question about his father's involvement with the NDAs.

💡Felony

A felony is a serious crime, typically punishable by more than one year in prison. The script mentions that Trump is facing 34 felony charges, contrasting with the single felony charge against Al Capone, a notorious gangster from the 1920s and 1930s.

💡Prosecutors

Prosecutors are legal representatives who bring a case against an individual in a court of law. In the script, it is suggested that radical prosecutors, funded by Soros, are targeting Donald Trump in various jurisdictions.

Highlights

Eric Trump appeared on Fox News with Laura Ingram in an attempt to do damage control for his father, Donald Trump, following Michael Cohen's damaging testimony.

Eric Trump contradicted the facts of the case, the legal situation, and the legal argument that Trump's defense attorneys are making.

Eric claimed the trial is solely about a $130,000 payment Trump made as a legal expense, which doesn't align with previous statements.

Trump had previously said the payments were for legal services performed by Michael Cohen monthly in 2017.

The invoices for the hush money had Allen Weisselberg's handwriting, the CFO of the Trump Organization, indicating a cover-up of campaign funds.

Eric's defense of his father conflicts with Trump's own defense, creating a problem for their narrative.

Eric argues that if NDAs were problematic, every organization would have an issue, contradicting the defense's stance that Trump was not involved with the NDAs.

The defense claims Trump had nothing to do with the NDAs, while Eric admits his father's involvement, highlighting an inconsistency.

Eric suggests that NDAs are standard practice for organizations, yet the defense argues Trump's lack of involvement with them.

The defense follows a pattern of denial, claiming the actions were not illegal, Trump was set up, and others also engage in similar behavior.

Laura Ingram repeatedly asks if Trump personally signed off on everything, as Cohen testified, but Eric avoids answering.

Eric deflects from answering about his father's approval by blaming radical prosecutors funded by George Soros for targeting Trump.

Eric implies a coordinated effort by prosecutors in 'far left' areas to take down his father, both civilly and criminally.

The interview concludes with Eric Trump ignoring direct questions and resorting to conspiracy theories.

The speaker suggests Eric Trump should refrain from doing interviews due to the inconsistencies and contradictions presented.

Transcripts

00:00

Speaker 1: After Michael Cohen's very damaging  testimony in Donald Trump's criminal trial  

00:04

yesterday, Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump  appeared on Fox News, I believe, with,  

00:10

Laura Ingram. It was a very, very, very disastrous  appearance. And the reason it was so bad is that  

00:17

in attempting to do damage control, Eric Trump  contradicted either the facts of the case,  

00:24

the legal situation, or the legal argument  that Trump's defense attorneys are making.  

00:30

So I'm going to give you an example here in this  segment, Eric Trump says they are talking about  

00:36

this entire Eric Trump claims the entire trial  is about $130,000 payment that Trump made in an  

00:45

interview in an individual capacity and booked on  his personal ledger as a legal expense. But that  

00:52

doesn't match up with what Trump previously  said. So let's hear from Eric Trump. You do  

00:56

have to listen carefully to understand the full  scope of the dishonesty of these people. This is  

01:01

actually a disastrous interview, but let's listen. Speaker 4: And yet they're going back to $130,000  

01:05

payment that a man made in his individual capacity  that he booked on his personal ledger as a legal  

01:13

expense because it was paid to his longtime  attorney. And he gets 30 for felonies. Remember,  

01:19

Al Capone got one felony hit. My father gets 34. Speaker 1: This simply doesn't match up with what  

01:24

Donald Trump has previously said. Eric Trump's  apologia here conflicts with what Trump previously  

01:31

said. Trump said that these payments were being  made for legal services that Michael Cohen was  

01:39

performing each month in 2017. Now they have a  problem. The invoices involved in the hush money  

01:47

have Allen Weisselberg handwriting. He was the  CFO of the Trump Organization, so they are now  

01:52

changing the story to it was $130,000 payment made  personally to Michael Cohen, but they structured  

01:59

this as monthly payments to hide the fact that  these were campaign funds. And so Eric Trump's  

02:06

defense of his dad contradicts Donald Trump's  own defense of himself. Eric Trump then says,  

02:14

you know, if these NDAs were such a problem,  then every organization would have a problem  

02:19

with these NDAs. The problem there is the defense  is saying Trump didn't have anything to do with  

02:24

the NDAs. Anyway. Eric Trump is saying the NDAs.  Fine. There's no problem that my dad was involved  

02:29

with it. The defense is saying Trump had nothing  to do with the NDA. Wait a second. That's another. 

02:33

Speaker 4: Point. I mean, I'd say the crimes  anyway, even if he did say forced or not,  

02:37

NDAs are complete. Yeah, that's my that's  the point I would. Every single day by  

02:42

every single organization. By the way,  every organization, including this one,  

02:46

would go down in flames if an NDA was was  illegal. Because every single organization,  

02:50

every single person has that in that world. Speaker 1: The defenses. Trump had nothing  

02:56

to do with any of the three NDAs that are related  to this entire fiasco. So then why does it matter  

03:01

if they are okay? Why does it matter if other  companies use NDAs? And every defense of Trump  

03:07

in total has the same sort of trajectory? He  definitely didn't do it. He was set up. It  

03:15

wasn't illegal when he did it. It also isn't true  that he did it. It's also done by everybody else.  

03:22

You're misunderstanding what he actually. It's  always the same endless cycle of lies to try  

03:27

to defend this guy. And then lastly, and this  is maybe the most telling part of the entire  

03:32

interview with Laura Ingram. Laura Ingram asks  multiple times. Did Trump personally sign off on  

03:39

everything? Because Michael Cohen testified that  Trump personally signed off on everything, and  

03:45

Eric Trump doesn't want to answer that question. Speaker 4: Why stop at 34? Cohen says that he  

03:49

called your dad to make sure that he approved of  what he was doing, and that he would be reimbursed  

03:55

for everything he required Mr. Trump sign off  basically on everything. That's what he repeated  

04:00

throughout the day. Here's a really interesting  because he kept a delayed and delayed and delayed,  

04:04

and Michael Cohen kept on making excuse. They  couldn't get the payment. And then he finally  

04:07

comes down on one of the emails and says that,  well, I can't get in touch with everything. Your  

04:11

dad, you know, I can't get in touch with with  the president. You know why? Because he's in  

04:14

Iowa and he's campaigning in every swing state. Speaker 1: I hope you're noticing that Eric  

04:18

is just ignoring the question.  He's just stepping right over. 

04:21

Speaker 4: He couldn't get him. You know, it's  really amazing how he comes out. And I mean,  

04:24

the email chains clearly show this. But,  Laura, that's not what this is about.  

04:28

They want to take my father down in New York.  They want to do it civilly. They want to do it  

04:32

criminally. They want to do it in Georgia.  They want to try and do it in Washington,  

04:35

D.C. they go to the farthest left areas of this  country. They have radical prosecutors, all with  

04:41

one thing in common. They're all funded by Soros,  every single one. And they have a damn mission to  

04:45

go after Donald Trump because he's winning. Speaker 1: There it is. So he's not going  

04:48

to answer the question, did your dad  approve everything the way Michael Cohen  

04:51

said under testimony, under oath during  his testimony, but instead he's going to  

04:55

blame George Soros? Classic. I think Eric  Trump needs to stop doing these interviews