Former President Donald Trump called his former lawyer Michael Cohen "a convicted liar" during a television interview Tuesday.
Cohen is expected to be a prosecution witness during the current New York criminal trial in which Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover Cohen's payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to remain quiet on an alleged affair years before the 2016 election.
"Michael Cohen is a convicted liar, and he's got no credibility whatsoever," Trump told Philadelphia’s Action News on Tuesday. "He was a lawyer and you rely on your lawyers. But Michael Cohen was a convicted liar. He was a lawyer for many people, not just me. Then he got in trouble because of things outside of what he did for me."
The former president spoke during a break in proceedings Tuesday, a day when the judge heard arguments on whether Trump should be punished for violating a gag order that prevents him from publicly criticizing witnesses and others involved in the case.
Prosecutors asked Justice Juan Merchan to fine Trump $10,000 for violating the order. Defense lawyer Todd Blanche argued Trump should not be punished for responding to political attacks. Merchan said he would not immediately rule on the prosecution's request.
Tuesday also was the day of the Pennsylvania primary. Trump won the GOP race with 83.4% of the vote, The New York Times reported.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is expected to oppose President Joe Biden in November's general election.
The former president again blamed Biden and Democrats for the ongoing criminal trial and three other cases, which involved charges over mishandling classified documents and questioning election integrity during the 2020 election outcome both in Georgia and overall.
"It's election interference," he said. "They're trying to get Joe Biden elected.
"And what they want to do is see if they can damage his opponent, but it has the opposite effect."
With the Keystone State among seven swing states expected to determine the outcome of November's presidential election, Trump addressed issues resonating among voters.
"We're not respected throughout the world, our economy is lousy," Trump told Action News' Walter Perez. "Our border, when I see people pouring into our country, so many of them are from jails.
"[Biden is] the worst president in our history. I don't want to say that. I wish he were a great, great president. I wouldn't even be doing this if that were the case, but he's the worst president in our history. He makes [former President] Jimmy Carter look like a genius."
Reuters contributed to this report.