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From Trump’s Attorney to Attorney General: The Rise of Todd Blanche
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Blanche's Origins: From the SDNY to Trump's Orbit
At 6:36 · chapter starts 4:20
Before Blanche became a household name, he was, by Thrush's account, a 'pretty vanilla' federal prosecutor at the Southern District of New York — the 'Yankee Stadium' of federal prosecutors' offices — who made the predictable midlife pivot to a prestigious white-shoe law firm in 2017. [1] — Glenn Thrush "Blanche was a 'vanilla federal prosecutor' from the Southern District of New York who cashed out into a white-shoe firm in 2017. Boris Epsh…" 04:20 The pivot toward Trump came through Boris Epshteyn, the president's longtime legal adviser, who enlisted Blanche to help defend Paul Manafort, Trump's first campaign chairman. That single assignment embedded Blanche in the rotation of Trump criminal defense lawyers and set in motion a chain of decisions that would reshape his entire career. The Southern District background gave him credibility; the Manafort case gave him access; the next choice would give him everything.
Blanche was a 'vanilla federal prosecutor' from the Southern District of New York who cashed out into a white-shoe firm in 2017. Boris Epshteyn pulled him into the Trump orbit through the Paul Manafort defense — and that cameo changed everything.
Over his law firm's objections, Blanche left a prestigious white-shoe firm to start his own firm and represent Trump after the 2020 election loss — when Trump looked like a losing cause.
After Trump lost in 2020, Blanche had every reason to walk away. Instead, he defied his firm's leadership, started his own firm, and threw in his lot with Trump at Trump's lowest ebb. That loyalty became the foundation of everything that followed.
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg indicted Donald Trump on 34 counts in the hush money case involving Stormy Daniels, which Blanche defended.
In the hush money trial, Blanche cross-examined Michael Cohen with relentless aggression — calling him a flat-out liar and reminding the jury Cohen had once called Trump a dictator who 'belonged in a cage like an animal.' Trump didn't win the case, but Blanche's fight deeply impressed him.
