![Tom Arnold with Michael Cohen](https://heavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/tom-and-michael-e1529680670915.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=778)
tweet from @tomarnold Tom Arnold and Michael Cohen together in New York
Tom Arnold made big waves on Thursday late at night, when he took to Twitter
and declared that he and Michael Cohen are teaming up to “take down” the president. Arnold says that Cohen “has all the tapes” with incriminating evidence on Trump, and that Trump should be having nightmares right now.
It’s pretty clear why Tom Arnold is going big on this. The former Roseanne star is an ardent liberal and is now working on a show for Vice where he says he plans to air all of Trump’s most incriminating videos. But why is Michael Cohen, Trump’s doggedly loyal former lawyer, teaming up with Arnold? Cohen went so far as to retweet the photo of himself doing a bro-hug with Arnold. Is this a sign that Cohen really is ready to cooperate with investigations into Trump’s alleged misdeeds?
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Arnold Says Cohen “Has All the Tapes” to Take Down Trump
![Michael Cohen](https://heavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/micahel-cohen.jpg?quality=65&strip=all)
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Arnold and Cohen met while Arnold was preparing for his upcoming Vice show. After their meeting Arnold gushed about Cohen’s access to the president and Cohen’s stash of incriminating evidence. “This guy has all the tapes,” Arnold raved, referring to supposedly incriminating video evidence that Cohen has on Trump.
Arnold told NBC, “I say to Michael, ‘Guess what? We’re taking Trump down together, and he’s so tired he’s like, ‘OK,’ and his wife is like, ‘OK, f*** Trump,'” Arnold said, laughing.
Cohen, Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, signaled recently that he may be ready to share information with investigators who are looking into Trump’s alleged misdeeds. CNN reported that one of Cohen’s close allies said, “He knows a lot of things about the President and he’s not averse to talking in the right situation.If they want information on Trump, he’s willing to give it.”
Cohen is under investigation by Federal prosecutors in New York for his involvement in a number of suspicious transactions. Notably, he is being scrutinized for sending a 130,000-dollar “hush money” payment to the former porn star, Stormy Daniels so that Daniels wouldn’t talk to the press about her relationship to Donald Trump. Last week Daniels filed a new lawsuit against Cohen, charging that he colluded wtih her lawyer.
2. Michael Cohen Retweeted the Tom Arnold Photo, But Also Still Seems to Support Trump
![Trump rally](https://heavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trump-rally.jpg?quality=65&strip=all)
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Michael Cohen’s Twitter feed is a fascinating read. He retweeeted the photo of himself with Arnold. A little earlier, he seemed to be on a bit of a spiritual quest. Just before tweeting the Arnold photo, he retweeted a call by the Dalai Lama for more understanding and cooperation in our world.
In today’s interconnected and globalized world, it’s now commonplace for people of different world views, faiths and races to live side by side. It’s a matter of great urgency, therefore, that we find ways to cooperate with one another in a spirit of mutual acceptance and respect
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) June 8, 2018
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It’s not hard to understand why the embattled Cohen wants more understanding. On the same day, Cohen quoted the Buddha on the importance of “truth”:
“Three things cannot be long hidden, the sun, the moon, and the TRUTH” -Buddha #SoonEnough @CNN @FoxNews @ABC @AP @nytimes @washingtonpost @latimes @WSJ @NBCNews https://t.co/mn4lzPB3hO
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) June 8, 2018
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But for all his interest in eastern religion and enlightenment, Cohen isn’t straying too far from his pro-Trump roots. He is still retweeting Fox News and ranting against the “fake news” being spread by the mass media. So why did Cohen agree to meet with Tom Arnold, and why did he retweet their photo together?
3. Tom Arnold Once Said Trump Was ‘Sweet’ & that the Pair Parted Together at the Playboy Mansion
Arnold says he has known Trump for 30 years. The two used to be friendly. Arnold told CBC that he’s partied with Trump in Playboy mansion and that he knows the whole family well. Arnold has also described Trump as a “sweet” guy. He told KIRO radio in Seattle that Trump used to call him up every year and beg him to appear on The Apprentice. Arnold always brushed him off but at that point, the two men had a good relationship.
Arnold’s history with Trump might be part of why Michael Cohen, who is famously loyal to the president, didn’t hesitate to visit Arnold and why he retweeted the photo of them together.
4. These Days, Arnold Said Trump Is a ‘White Trash Racist’
![Michael Cohen Stormy Daniels](https://heavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/gettyimages-629381014-e1497635208670.jpg?quality=65&strip=all)
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Tom Arnold isn’t shy about his politics. The former Roseanne star has been outspoken about his views. He calls Trump a “white trash racist” and slams the president for being self-obsessed. Arnold also hasn’t been shy about denouncing his ex-wife, Roseanne Barr. Arnold and Barr were married for four years, from 1990 to 1994. The couple split in 1994, but Arnold says they have always maintained a friendly relationship and that he has stayed close to Roseanne’s children.
After a series of controversial tweets about Valerie Jarett, Roseanne Barr’s new TV show was taken off the air. Arnold has said that Roseanne is an “obvious racist” and that she has always struggled with mental disorders, including possible multiple personality disorder.
Arnold says that he and Roseanne have known Trump for 30 years. “She’s known Trump for 30 years like I have,” he says. “She knows he’s an asshole. She is so locked in with Trump she is unable to have any introspection. It is a weird thing.”
5. Tom Arnold Says He Already Has a Video Showing Trump Being Racist
Back in 2016, Arnold claimed that he had incriminating videos of Trump making racist slurs. Arnold said the video came from outtakes from The Apprentice and from Miss Universe pageants. Here’s what he told KIRO Radio in Seattle about the Trump tapes:
“Hundreds of people have seen these. It was sort of a Christmas video they put together. He wasn’t going to be President of the United States. It was him sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word, calling his son a retard, just being so mean to his own children. Oh, this is so funny, this is this guy.”
Arnold added that nobody ever published the tapes because they were “scared to death” of Trump and his lawyers.
However, the well-repected Snopes Fact Check says that they were unable to verify Arnold’s claim that these tapes exist. Arnold has also, notably, failed to put any video up. So is this whole thing a hoax? Does Michael Cohen in fact have incriminating video of Trump, or is this just an instance of Tom Arnold trying to draw attention to himself? All we can do is watch and see.