Trump said 'only blacks could live this way' about Chicago and hates Obama because he's Black, Michael Cohen claims

Former Trump fixer says now-president disliked Barack Obama just because of his skin colour

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former fixer and personal attorney, claims his former client once said "only the blacks" could live in difficult conditions as the duo drove through a predominantly black neighborhood in Chicago.

"Only the Blacks could live this way," Mr Cohen told NBC News in an interview to air on Tuesday to coincide with the release of his new tell-all book. "I, of course, said to him, 'Well that's not really true,'" Mr Cohen claimed. "He goes, 'No, only the Blacks could live this way.'"

Mr Cohen also contended to NBC that Mr Trump's longtime disdain for former President Barack Obama stems from the 44th commander in chief being both black and the country's first black president.

Mr Trump's former fixer describes his then boss as a racist who has become the leader of a cult. He also suggests in the interview that the president should step down before he is shamed when hit with possible criminal charges.

"In the book, obviously, I describe Mr. Trump as a cult leader, and I was in this cult," Mr Cohen said of Disloyal: A Memoir.

"So one of the purposes of writing the book is really from one former cult member to the current ones," he told NBC's Lester Holt. "I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Open your eyes as I have. And I want you to appreciate that Donald Trump cares for no one or anything other than himself."

The author is serving a three-year prison sentence for multiple counts related to his work for the president, including lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes.

Mr Cohen also makes bold claims about Mr Trump’s views about black leaders of countries.

He contends that following the 2013 death of former South African President Nelson Mandela, Mr Trump "asked me if I had known of any country that's run by a Black that's not a s---hole."

"And I said, 'Well, how about America?'" Mr Cohen responded, indirectly referring to Mr Obama. "To which he gave me the proverbial ‘F you.’"

Mr Cohen also claims that Mr Obama got under Mr Trump's skin at the 2011 White House Correspondents Association dinner when he lambasted the then-reality television host following his pushing of a theory that the Hawaiian-born president was not a United States citizen.

"Lester, not only did it bother him, it really irritated him," Mr Cohen told the Nightly News host, contending his then-boss hired an Obama impersonator to take part in a later-scuttled video mocking Mr Obama.

"Of course, you know, the script being written, Obama did not come out looking good in this script," Mr Cohen said. "And this was supposed to go out on Trump's social media platform. It was ultimately decided that it was not a smart move for him to do. And this, of course, was all going on during the birther -- 'Birther-gate,' as we'll call it."