Michael Avenatti, the attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels and a fixture on cable news programs, says he is eyeing a potential presidential run.
In an interview Thursday with the Des Moines Register, Avenatti said, “I’m exploring a run for the presidency of the United States, and I wanted to come to Iowa and listen to people and learn about some issues that are facing the citizens of Iowa and do my homework.”
Avenatti is best known for representing Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump following an alleged 2006 affair, which Trump denies. Daniels is suing to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement that she signed days before the 2016 election.
Avenatti is currently in Iowa because he is scheduled to speak Friday night at the Democratic Wing Ding fundraiser in Clear Lake. He told the outlet that his appearance was not an effort on his part to raise his profile. “I would never think to come to Iowa in order to use the state or the people of the state to raise my profile,” he said. “And obviously if I do this, then I intend to work hard and I know that ultimately the trust of the citizens of Iowa is going to have to be earned.”
Avenatti added that he hopes people will take him “seriously,” and that he believes the Democratic party needs “a fighter.”
President Trump has said he intends to run again. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT), Sen. Cory Booker, (D-NJ), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and several others have been pegged as potential candidates as well, although none have announced official plans.
