Roy Cohn first made his name in the 1950s as the young lawyer at Sen. Joseph McCarthy's side during the Red Scare. Over the next three decades he became one of New York's most feared fixers: a zealous anti-communist, a lawyer for mob bosses and a man perpetually at war with the IRS. He was also gay and stayed closeted until his death from AIDS in 1986.
But his most lasting legacy may be a protégé. Cohn took a young Donald Trump under his wing and the lessons stuck. In their new biography, “American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump,” Pulitzer Prize winner Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark argue that Trump's rise is, in a sense, the triumph of Cohn's own politics. They join us to talk about how Roy Cohn changed America.
GUESTS –
Kai Bird | Historian and journalist. He’s the author of “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.” His latest is “American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn’s Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump.”
Susan Goldmark | Co-author of “American Scoundrel.” She’s married to Kai Bird and is his chief researcher.
Airdate: Oct. 9, 2026