Michael Cohen Wanted Trump To Debut 2016 Campaign With Women In Bikinis, Elephants

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 13: Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's attorney, takes a phone call near the Loews Regency hotel on Park Ave on April 13, 2018 in New York City. Following FBI raids on his home, office and hotel room, the Department of Justice announced that they are placing him under criminal investigation. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 13: Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, takes a call near the Loews Regency hotel on Park Ave on April 13, 2018 in New York City. Following FBI raids on his home, off... NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 13: Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, takes a call near the Loews Regency hotel on Park Ave on April 13, 2018 in New York City. Following FBI raids on his home, office and hotel room, the Department of Justice announced that they are placing him under criminal investigation. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Go big or go home, right?

President Donald Trump made plenty of headlines in 2015 when he descended the golden escalator at Trump Tower to announce his presidential campaign, but apparently some of his allies wanted something a little … flashier.

According to a Monday Washington Post report, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and several other Trump associates favored what the Post described as a “circuslike spectacle” for the nascent 2016 Trump campaign: Bikini-clad women and elephants.

However, it appeared that Trump ignored the Hugh Hefner-esque fantasy for a somewhat simpler announcement in front of a crowd of “supporters” who were either paid to be there or were random people pulled from the streets.

Cohen is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for tax fraud and violating campaign finance laws.

Latest News
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: