The adult star's explosive '60 Minutes' interview on Sunday night shows that celebrity politics has become normalised
Adult actress Stormy Daniels - real name Stephanie Clifford - has been grabbing headlines over the past few months because she claims to have had an affair with US President Donald Trump. In her first televised interview discussing the alleged affair, Daniels revealed some explosive details that will be difficult for Trump and his family to swallow if true. Daniels says she slept with the president in 2006, a year after he married his wife and First Lady, Melania. Trump has vehemently denied the allegations.
Although Daniels signed a non-disclosure agreement with Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen ahead of the 2016 general election, her attorney argues it is not valid because Trump did not sign it himself. She had agreed to not speak publicly about the alleged affair in exchange for a six-figure sum, but now Daniels wants to tell her story to stop people branding her as a ‘liar’.
Daniels sat down with guest host Anderson Cooper on CBS’s 60 Minutes in a tell-all interview. Here are the biggest takeaways from the bombshell exposé.
The alleged sexual encounter: spanking, hotel rooms and consent
Daniels: It started off … all about him just talking about himself. And he’s like … “'Have you seen my new magazine?' … And so I was like, 'Does this … does this normally work for you?' And he looked very taken … taken back, like, he didn’t really understand what I was saying. Like, I was … does, just, you know, talking about yourself normally work? And I was like, 'Someone should take that magazine and spank you with it.'
I don't think anyone's ever spoken to him like that, especially, you know, a young woman who looked like me. And I said, you know, 'Give me that,' and I just remember him going, 'You wouldn't.' 'Hand it over.' And-- so he did, and I was like, 'turn around, drop 'em.' So he turned around and pulled his pants down a little -- you know, had underwear on and stuff -- and I just gave him a couple swats.'
Daniels: You know, I was in [the restroom] for a little bit and came out and he was sitting, you know, on the edge of the bed when I walked out, perched … I realized exactly what I’d gotten myself into. And I was like, “Ugh, here we go.” [laugh] And I just felt like maybe [laugh] it was sort of … I had it coming for making a bad decision for going to someone’s room alone and I just heard the voice in my head, “well, you put yourself in a bad situation and bad things happen, so you deserve this.”
Cooper: And you had sex with him.
Daniels: Yes.
Cooper: Did you want to have sex with him?
Daniels: No. But I didn’t … I didn’t say no. I’m not a victim, I’m not –
Cooper: It was entirely consensual.
Daniels: Oh, yes, yes.
Why did she take $130,000 in hush money from Trump’s lawyer?
Daniels: I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, in my heart – and some people argue that I don’t have one of those – but whatever, that I was doing the right thing. I turned down a large payday multiple times because, one, I didn’t wanna kiss and tell and be labeled all the things that I’m being labeled now. I didn’t wanna take away from the, legitimate and legal I’d like to point out, career that I’ve worked very hard to establish. And most importantly, I did not want my family and my child exposed to all the things that she’s being exposed to right now. Because everything that I was afraid of coming out has come out anyway, and guess what? I don’t have a million dollars [laugh]. You didn’t even buy me breakfast.
Threats after agreeing to sell her story to a magazine
Daniels: I was in a parking lot, going to a fitness class with my infant daughter. Taking, you know, the seats facing backwards in the backseat, diaper bag, you know, gettin’ all the stuff out. And a guy walked up on me and said to me, 'Leave Trump alone. Forget the story.' And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, “'hat’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.' And then he was gone.
Cooper: You took it as a direct threat?
Daniels: Absolutely.
Daniels: I was rattled. I remember going into the workout class. And my hands are shaking so much, I was afraid I was gonna … drop her.
Signing the initial statement denying the affair
Cooper: So you signed and released … a statement that said, 'I am not denying this affair because I was paid in hush money, I’m denying it because it never happened.' That’s a lie?
Daniels: Yes.
Cooper: If it was untruthful, why did you sign it?
Daniels: Because they made it sound like I had no choice.
Cooper: I mean, no one was putting a gun to your head?
Daniels: Not physical violence, no.
Cooper: You thought that there would be some sort of legal repercussion if you didn’t sign it?
Daniels: Correct. As a matter of fact, the exact sentence used was, 'They can make your life hell in many different ways.'
Cooper: They being …
Daniels: I’m not exactly sure who they were. I believe it to be Michael Cohen.