Stormy Daniels, the former adult film star, has been making headlines for over a year due to her alleged affair with President Donald Trump. While the affair itself may have remained a private matter, Daniels has managed to turn her brief involvement with the President into a powerful tool in both the political and entertainment spheres. Through legal battles, public appearances, and savvy marketing moves, Stormy Daniels has become one of the most influential figures in modern American politics. In this article, we will explore the many ways that Daniels has turned her story into a force to be reckoned with in the world of politics.
In May 2018, a Pittsburgh strip club dancer named Scarlet had an encounter with a young man named Isaac who was carrying a political non-fiction book under his arm. The book was Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff, which chronicled the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency. Isaac hoped that one of the other strippers would sign the book for him.
Isaac was one of the hundreds of men who were drawn to see porn performer Stormy Daniels as she danced across the country on her “Make America Horny Again” tour, closely followed by a political tempest over her alleged history with the serving president of the United States. In fact, just 10 minutes after the start of Ms Daniels’ first show in Pittsburgh, Mr Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani appeared to admit on Fox News that the mercurial tycoon had indeed authorized a hush money payment of $130,000 to his alleged ex-lover, contradicting previous denials.
Now, Ms Daniels is at the centre of a national firestorm as New York state prosecutors have brought charges against Mr Trump, marking the first criminal prosecution against a former president in US history. It is currently unclear what the charges are, but reports say that Mr Trump is facing 34 felony counts related to business fraud. Mr Trump is scheduled to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court for his arraignment on the afternoon of Tuesday 4 April, where the charges will be unsealed.
Mr Trump has long denied an affair with Ms Daniels, and his lawyer has accused her of extortion. In a Truth Social post on 18 March, he described the allegations as “an old and fully debunked fairy tale” being exploited by “corrupt and highly political” Manhattan prosecutors. He also upped the ante by predicting that he would be arrested on Tuesday (21 March) and calling for mass protests to “TAKE OUR NATION BACK”. However, Tuesday came and went with no indictment.
That day came and went, but the grand jury voted on Thursday 30 March to indict Mr Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has vowed that he would not be intimidated by Mr Trump’s rhetoric. Being convicted would not block Mr Trump from pursuing a second term in 2024, but it could damage his chances, and would certainly make it harder for him to campaign if he is on trial or barred from leaving New York state, or even in prison while the election is ongoing.
Ms Daniels, previously known as Stephanie Gregory, is a veteran in the adult entertainment industry with a talent for self-promotion and snappy comebacks. Her career has seen her climb the ranks and move into pornography, winning industry awards and roles in mainstream reality TV, dramas, and films.
In some ways, Ms Daniels has much in common with Mr Trump. According to former colleagues, she has been extremely canny about marketing her own image in pursuit of success, and as a film director, she is reportedly unafraid of firing people or taking them to task when she feels it is warranted. She is also a frequent and voluble Twitter user, often skirmishing with her critics and blasting them with one of her most effective weapons: a cheerful refusal to be remotely ashamed of her profession.
Back in 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen had arranged a payment of $130,000 to Ms Daniels just before the 2016 election to stop her from disclosing their alleged affair. Cohen has since pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws by making this payment and told prosecutors that he did so under Mr Trump’s direction (which Mr Trump denies). Once Cohen first admitted the payment in 2018, Ms Daniels argued that her non-disclosure agreement was now void and became a crusader. She spoke out frequently and candidly, saying Cohen had “acted like he is above the law” and “played by a different set of rules”.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, she alleged that she had met Mr Trump at a celebrity golf championship near Lake Tahoe in California when he was 60 years old and she was 27. He invited her to dinner and then her hotel suite. According to Ms Daniels, Mr Trump was egotistical during their conversation, showing her a magazine with himself on the cover.
This is a story of how a woman at the crossroads of politics, business, and sex work could end up sealing the downfall of the 45th US president. Ms Daniels, who was just a teenager with good grades when she stumbled upon a gig at a strip club, has gone on to become a household name, navigating the cutthroat world of adult entertainment with determination and savvy. Now, with charges brought against Mr Trump for his alleged involvement in the hush money scandal, Ms Daniels may hold the key to the president’s future.
