Irish Examiner view: Worrying times ahead for Donald Trump 

Donald Trump and his former legal ‘fixer’ Michael Cohen are the central characters in a $250m civil fraud lawsuit that could see Trump losing his business empire

Former US president Donald Trump speaks during a break in his civil business fraud trial at New York Supreme Court on Wednesday. Picture: Seth Wenig/AP

Sitting in a courtroom in the New York Supreme Court, former US president Donald Trump has been keen in recent days to face down one of his many potential nemeses, his former legal ‘fixer’ Michael Cohen. 

Since their relationship broke down during the course of Trump’s 2016-2020 presidency, their appearance in that courtroom has been the first time they have been in the same room together and both are looking for vengeance. Their now spiteful affiliation has seen Trump describe Cohen as a dishonest “rat”, while his former attorney returned the favour, portraying his former client as a bigoted, lying “con man”.