For better or worse, porn star Stormy Daniels could have faded into the mist of 2016 long ago had the president never offered her a settlement.

Everyone who pulled the lever for Trump two years ago knew, quite literally, they were electing a playboy. Had Daniels stepped forward with her full story before the election, it would only have served to reinforce a well-established narrative. Many of Trump’s votes came from people who were already overlooking his reputation in the interest of achieving Republican policy goals, keeping Hillary Clinton out of the White House, or some combination of both. And plenty of his loyal followers would have believed him had he denied it.