‘I’ve developed a thick skin and maybe a little bit of a dark sense of humor,’ Daniels said.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels said her years of work in the porn industry serve as good preparation for the onslaught of public attention she’s receiving ahead of her highly anticipated interview with 60 Minutes.
“I’ve developed a thick skin and maybe a little bit of a dark sense of humor,” she told The Washington Post . “But nothing truly could prepare someone for this.”
The CBS program is scheduled to air an interview Sunday night with Daniels, who says she had an affair with President Trump that began in 2006 and lasted into 2007. She said she was paid $130,000 by Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen for her silence just days before the presidential election in 2016.
The interview comes after weeks of intense publicity and cable news appearances by Daniel’s lawyer Michael Avenatti, who suggested Sunday on Twitter that more bombshells about the alleged tryst could drop after the interview airs.
“Not all of our evidence will be mentioned/displayed tonight – that would be foolish,” Avenatti tweeted on Sunday, adding that CBS is unlikely to air the full interview recorded two weeks ago.
“Tonight is not the end,” Avenatti added. “It’s the beginning.”
Note: (a) not all of our evidence will be mentioned/displayed tonight – that would be foolish; (b) we are not sure what CBS will include but we know a lot from the full interview will have to be cut bc of the time allowed; (c) tonight is not the end – it’s the beginning. #basta
Avenatti, who declined an interview request Sunday with USA TODAY, has hinted repeatedly that Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, may have evidence of the alleged affair with Trump. On Friday, he tweeted a photo of a DVD inside an open safe, suggesting that Daniels has photos to back up her claims.
Trump’s allies have denied the affair, even as Trump and his lawyers have gone to court to force the dispute with Daniels back into private arbitration and out of public view. Cohen is seeking $20 million in damages from Daniels for publicly discussing the alleged relationship.
Trump, who routinely uses his Twitter account to blast his political enemies, has remained largely silent about Daniels, despite the daily headlines about the alleged tryst ever since Daniels filed a lawsuit earlier this month, seeking to invalidate what she calls her “hush” agreement with Cohen.
On Sunday, Trump’s close friend and Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said Trump has told him he thinks that “much of the Stormy Daniels stuff was a political hoax.”
“This is politically motivated to hurt and embarrass him in some way,” Ruddy said, during the interview on ABC’s This Week.
Avenatti shot back on Sunday afternoon with a mocking tweet: “You are correct @ChrisRuddyNMX. Ms. Clifford’s claims are yet another “hoax” — similar to other infamous “hoaxes” like the moon landing, 9/11, etc.”
The 60 Minutes interview comes just days after former Playboy model Karen McDougal gave an interview to CNN, detailing her alleged 2006 affair with Trump. McDougal filed a lawsuit last week against American Media Inc., the company that owns the National Enquirer, which allegedly paid her $150,000 not to speak about her affair.
McDougal and Daniels are among 19 women who claim affairs with Trump or accuse him of unwanted sexual advances.
Trump is scheduled to be back at the White House when the Daniels interview airs, while first lady Melania Trump plans to remain in Florida at Mar-a-Lago for spring break.
