Michael Cohen Begs Biden for a Pardon; MSNBC Host Reminds Him: “You’re Not the President’s Son”

On January 12, 2025, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, appeared on MSNBC to make a public plea for a presidential pardon from Joe Biden. Cohen argued that Biden owed him the same pardon he had granted his own son, Hunter Biden. The exchange took an awkward turn when MSNBC host Symone Sanders reminded Cohen on live television that he was not, in fact, the president’s son. In a separate segment, lawyer and Trump ally Mike Davis addressed the Manhattan case against Trump, arguing that the American people had already delivered their verdict on the lawfare efforts on November 5.

Cohen Demands the Same Pardon Biden Gave Hunter

Cohen appeared on MSNBC and made no attempt to soften his request, framing it as a matter of principle and drawing a direct comparison to the pardon Biden had issued to his son Hunter.

“I put in the application for a presidential pardon because I believe that Joe Biden has the same responsibility to me that he had to his own son,” Cohen said. “And I would expect that the same exact pardon that he gave his son has to go to me and to anybody else that’s on that enemy’s list, whether they want it or not.”

Cohen then referenced his own experience in federal custody: “Because I assure you, solitary confinement, where I did 51 days, sucks.”

When asked whether he had heard back from the Biden administration, Cohen indicated that the administration had taken the position that it would not issue pardons to individuals who had publicly stated they did not want one. Cohen dismissed the idea that those individuals would stick to that position under pressure.

“Don’t change their mind when they’re sitting behind closed doors,” Cohen said. “That I can assure you, they’re gonna kick themselves in the backside for that one.”

Sanders Delivers the Reality Check

The most memorable moment of the exchange came when MSNBC host Symone Sanders pushed back on Cohen’s comparison of himself to Hunter Biden.

Sanders acknowledged Cohen’s point about a potential political enemies list but took issue with the direct comparison to the president’s son.

“I’m gonna just tell you, Michael, as we on national TV have a conversation, I don’t necessarily think that’s your best way to go get a pardon,” Sanders said. “I mean, Hunter Biden is the president’s last surviving son.”

Cohen was undeterred: “I’m somebody’s son also, by the way.”

Sanders did not miss a beat: “Agreed, you are somebody’s son, but I mean, to be very clear, you’re not the president’s son.”

The exchange drew widespread attention because it featured an MSNBC host — a network generally aligned with Democratic politics — publicly admonishing a figure who had been a key witness against Trump. The moment underscored the awkwardness of Cohen’s position: having turned against Trump and cooperated with prosecutors, he now found himself pleading with Biden for the same kind of sweeping pardon that had drawn criticism when applied to Hunter Biden.

Mike Davis on the Manhattan Case and the Election

In a separate segment, lawyer Mike Davis, a Trump ally, addressed the Manhattan criminal case presided over by Judge Juan Merchan, which had resulted in a conviction of Trump on felony charges related to business records.

“This Democrat Manhattan judge, Juan Merchan, is partisan. He’s corrupt. He’s dangerous. He took our country to the brink,” Davis said.

Davis argued that the election itself had served as the public’s response to the legal cases against Trump: “The American people heard all of these allegations and all of this so-called evidence with all this lawfare run by these Biden Democrats all over the country, and the American people delivered our verdict on November 5th.”

Davis’s comments reflected the broader Republican argument that the multiple criminal and civil cases brought against Trump during the 2024 campaign cycle amounted to politically motivated lawfare, and that Trump’s decisive election victory represented the public’s rejection of that approach.

The Pardon Debate in Context

Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden in December 2024 had been controversial, particularly because Biden had previously stated publicly that he would not pardon his son. The sweeping nature of the pardon — covering potential offenses over a broad period of time — drew criticism from both Republicans and some Democrats. Cohen’s attempt to leverage that precedent highlighted the political complications the Hunter Biden pardon created for the outgoing administration.

Cohen’s criminal record stemmed from charges related to tax evasion, bank fraud, campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress. He had served time in federal prison and was later released to home confinement. His cooperation with prosecutors in the Manhattan DA’s case against Trump had made him a central figure in the legal battles surrounding the former and incoming president.

The juxtaposition of the two segments — Cohen’s plea for a pardon and Davis’s dismissal of the lawfare cases — captured the political dynamics of the transition period. On one side, a cooperating witness who had turned against Trump was now seeking protection from the outgoing Democratic president. On the other, Trump allies were framing the election result as the definitive public rejection of the legal strategy that Cohen had helped enable.

Key Takeaways

• Michael Cohen publicly pleaded with the Biden administration for a pardon on MSNBC, arguing Biden owed him “the same exact pardon that he gave his son.”
• MSNBC host Symone Sanders admonished Cohen on air, telling him, “To be very clear, you’re not the president’s son.”
• Cohen referenced spending 51 days in solitary confinement and warned that others who refused pardons would “kick themselves in the backside.”
• Lawyer Mike Davis called the Manhattan case against Trump partisan and said “the American people delivered our verdict on November 5th.”