Porn star Stormy Daniels’ lawyer showed up at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards on Monday and said he was “serious” about challenging President Trump in the 2020 election, noting he believes he has a “real shot” if he chooses to run.
“I am, I’m serious about it,” Avenatti said in an interview with Variety at the event in New York City. “I’m seriously looking at it.”
Avenatti announced in July that he was considering running for president if “there is no other candidate in the race that has a REAL chance beating” Trump.
Since then, Avenatti has traveled around the country, including an appearance at the Iowa State Fair earlier this month. He also confirmed to the Washington Examiner that he will travel to New Hampshire in September.
[Also read: Michael Avenatti urges Democrats to reject Michelle Obama’s ‘When they go low, we go high’ message in 2020]
Michael Avenatti explains why he’s at the #VMAs https://t.co/abcR5Peu0S pic.twitter.com/dR5MKZpJEL
— Variety (@Variety) August 21, 2018
“I’ve been really surprised at how much enthusiasm there is out there for the potential,” Avenatti said Monday evening. “So, I’m going to make a decision — I want to be smart about it, deliberative.”
When asked if he ever imagined running for president, Avenatti said he hadn’t previously considered doing so.
“No, I didn’t actually. It’s been a whirlwind six months,” Avenatti said. “You know, I think I have a real shot if I decide to do it. It’s a big decision though.”
Avenatti’s client Daniels has been embroiled in a legal battle with President Trump over an alleged extramarital affair. Cohen paid her $130,000 in exchange for her silence on the affair, but she filed a lawsuit earlier this year claiming the nondisclosure agreement she signed should be nullified because Trump didn’t sign it.
