Lawyers for ex-President Donald Trump are spotlighting Michael Cohen’s podcasts and media comments to paint him as so hellbent on taking down Mr. Trump that his animus reached biblical proportions.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche on Thursday confronted Mr. Cohen — Mr. Trump’s lawyer-turned-accuser — with a March 2023 CNN interview in which he characterized the New York hush-money case as a David vs. Goliath scenario.

“You actually said on March 30, so before the indictment was unsealed, that ‘You had Goliath on his back,’ didn’t you?” Mr. Blanche asked.

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“Sounds correct,” Mr. Cohen says.

Mr. Blanche also pulled up comments from Mr. Cohen’s “Mea Culpa” podcast, in which he took glee at Mr. Trump’s legal problems.

“He is about to get a taste of what I went through, and I promise you it’s not fun,” said Mr. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to election offenses and other crimes in 2018.

Mr. Trump, dressed in a navy suit and red tie, sat at the defense table while his attorneys pelted Mr. Cohen with his past comments, undermining his credibility.

Prosecutors allege Mr. Trump directed Mr. Cohen to pay hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels near the 2016 election and cut a series of checks to reimburse Mr. Cohen throughout 2017 to conceal the nature of the payment. The state says the scheme showed an intent to commit election and financial crimes.

Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies having a sexual encounter with Ms. Daniels in 2006, as she alleges. 

His defense team says Mr. Cohen is a bitter former ally of the president who soured on Mr. Trump during the real estate mogul’s presidency and is upset about his own legal problems. Mr. Blanche also says Mr. Cohen wants to go after Mr. Trump to sell books and raise money through advertising on his podcasts.

“You called him ‘Dumbass Donald,’ is that right?” Mr. Blanche said.

“Sounds correct,” Mr. Cohen said.

The testimony was dotted with objections from the prosecution, disrupting the flow of the proceedings.

Mr. Cohen is expected to be one of the last witnesses for the prosecution before Mr. Trump mounts his defense. Lawyers will deliver closing arguments as soon as next week, before the judge gives the jury instructions on the law and sends them into the deliberation room.

Jurors have been hearing testimony four days a week, with Wednesday off.

However, state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan said he might start calling them in midweek.

“As you know our schedule in the coming week or weeks is kind of broken up by holidays and various conflicts so if possible it may be necessary for us to work next Wednesday,” Judge Merchan said.

• This story is based in part on wire service reports.