By Felicia Sonmez / The Washington Post
Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, said in Iowa on Thursday that Democrats are seeking a “fighter” who will take on President Donald Trump — and that they should look no further than Michael Avenatti.
In his first steps toward exploring a potential 2020 presidential bid, Avenatti toured the Iowa State Fair on Thursday and will speak at a Democratic fundraiser in the first-in-the-nation caucus state on Friday night.
Avenatti is representing Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, in her lawsuit to void a nondisclosure agreement she signed in 2016 that prevented her from speaking about an alleged affair with Trump in exchange for $130,000. Daniels argues that the nondisclosure agreement is invalid because Trump, who denies the affair, never signed it.
Avenatti has previously said that the “number one question” facing Democrats in choosing a 2020 nominee is whether that person can beat Trump, and in an interview with the Des Moines Register on Thursday, he touted his role as one of the president’s most persistent and public critics.
“I think there’s a huge appetite within the party for a fighter,” Avenatti said. “I think the party has yearned for a fighter — a fighter for good, if you will — for a significant period of time. And for many, I’m probably seen as that individual.”
Avenatti told the paper that he is testing the presidential waters and that he had decided to visit Iowa to listen to voters and “do my homework” on the issues they care about most. He also dismissed criticism that he is generating buzz about a potential White House bid in an effort to raise his own profile, saying that he “would never think to come to Iowa in order to use the state.”
The legal battle has made Avenatti a celebrity on Twitter and cable news. At Friday’s Democratic Wing Ding fundraiser, he will speak alongside Rep. John Delaney, D-Md., and entrepreneur Andrew Yang, both of whom last year launched campaigns for president, as well as Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who is seen as eyeing a possible White House bid.
The Washington Post’s Elise Viebeck contributed to this report.
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