Much has been said about Michael D. Cohen’s composure during his lengthy cross-examination, as if it were a facade that couldn’t be expected to hold much longer.
Such anticipation is based on Mr. Cohen’s reputation as a self-described “thug” and his more demonstrative turn on a witness stand during a civil trial of his former boss last year.
So far, his composure has largely held.
Mr. Cohen, 57, is a central-casting New Yorker, brash and sharp-elbowed. Colleagues who worked beneath him have testified in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial about meltdowns from a man known to pack a pistol in an ankle holster. After falling out with Mr. Trump, Mr. Cohen turned his fury on his former boss, once calling him a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain” on social media.
This week, Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, has tried to lure that earlier version of the witness into the spotlight, repeatedly goading him about lies he has told. Just minutes before Thursday’s lunch break, Mr. Blanche accused Mr. Cohen once again of an untruth, this time about a call to Mr. Trump’s bodyguard. He raised his pointer finger as his voice hit a higher register.
“That was a lie,” Mr. Blanche said, demanding that he “admit it.”
“No sir,” Mr. Cohen responded. “I can’t.”
It was different last year, in another Manhattan courthouse. In his testimony in Mr. Trump’s civil fraud trial, Mr. Cohen appeared flustered when accused of lying. Several times, he made legal objections from the witness stand; in a trial, only lawyers trying the case can make objections.
He refused to respond to some questions, saying instead, “Asked and answered.”
By contrast, during yet another interruption Thursday for a sidebar conference, Mr. Cohen glanced toward the jury and appeared to crack a smile. He then seemed to think better of it and quietly accepted a fresh cup of water from a court officer.
