--- title: Michael Avenatti Says He's 'Exploring' a Presidential Run description: Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing porn star Stormy Daniels, said he is "exploring a run for the presidency of the United States." canonical: https://time.com/5363537/avenatti-explores-presidential-run/ author: Gina Martinez article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-10T01:29:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:07:03.472Z article:section: Politics og:title: Stormy Daniels Lawyer Michael Avenatti Tells Iowans He's 'Exploring a Run for the Presidency' og:description: Avenatti is scheduled to speak at a Democratic fundraiser in Iowa og:url: https://time.com/5363537/avenatti-explores-presidential-run/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef882bc92404719d/698931df929fada177bf0b53/michaelavenatti.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Returns To Court In New York City og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stormy Daniels Lawyer Michael Avenatti Tells Iowans He's 'Exploring a Run for the Presidency' twitter:description: Avenatti is scheduled to speak at a Democratic fundraiser in Iowa twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef882bc92404719d/698931df929fada177bf0b53/michaelavenatti.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Stormy Daniels Lawyer Michael Avenatti Tells Iowans He's 'Exploring a Run for the Presidency' by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Aug 10, 2018 1:29 AM UTC  NEW YORK, NY - MAY 30: Attorney Michael Avenatti arrives at the United States District Court Southern District of New York on May 30, 2018 in New York City. According to a filing submitted to the court Tuesday night by special master Barbara Jones, federal prosecutors investigating Michael Cohen, a longtime personal lawyer and confidante for President Donald Trump, are set to receive 1 million files from three of his cellphones that were seized last month. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - MAY 30: Attorney Michael Avenatti arrives at the United States District Court Southern District of New York on May 30, 2018 in New York City. According to a filing submitted to the court Tuesday night by special master Barbara Jones, federal prosecutors investigating Michael Cohen, a longtime personal lawyer and confidante for President Donald Trump, are set to receive 1 million files from three of his cellphones that were seized last month. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Spencer Platt—Getty Images by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Aug 10, 2018 1:29 AM UTC Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing porn star [Stormy Daniels](http://time.com/5220087/donald-trump-underestimated-stormy-daniels/) in a case [against President Donald Trump](http://time.com/5278027/donald-trump-stormy-daniels-payoff-campaign/), took a swing through Iowa on Thursday and said he is “exploring a run for the presidency of the United States.” “I wanted to come to Iowa and listen to people and learn about some issues that are facing the citizens of Iowa and do my homework,” Avenatti told the[ De Moines _Register._](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/09/michael-avenatti-iowa-wing-ding-president-exploring-run-caucus-2020-stormy-daniels/935636002/) > [](https://twitter.com/MichaelAvenatti/status/1027641417659834368) Avenatti is scheduled to speak at the Democratic Wing Ding fundraiser Friday night in Clear Lake, Iowa alongside Maryland Rep. John Delaney and Ohio Rep Tim Ryan. He told the _Register_ he hopes to be taken seriously by Democrats. “I think there’s a huge appetite within the party for a fighter,” he said. “I think the party has yearned for a fighter — a fighter for good, if you will — for a significant period of time. And for many, I’m probably seen as that individual.” Avenatti rose to national prominence for his frequent cable news appearances and vocal attacks on Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Cohen admitted to paying Daniels $130,000 shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the adult film star’s allegation that they carried on an affair. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5363537/avenatti-explores-presidential-run/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5363537/avenatti-explores-presidential-run/"},"headline":"Stormy Daniels Lawyer Michael Avenatti Tells Iowans He's 'Exploring a Run for the Presidency'","datePublished":"2018-08-10T01:29:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:07:03.472Z","description":"Avenatti is scheduled to speak at a Democratic fundraiser in Iowa","url":"https://time.com/5363537/avenatti-explores-presidential-run/","keywords":["Iowa","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef882bc92404719d/698931df929fada177bf0b53/michaelavenatti.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Gina Martinez","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef882bc92404719d/698931df929fada177bf0b53/michaelavenatti.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Returns To Court In New York City","caption":"Former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Returns To Court In New York City","creditText":"Spencer Platt—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/iowa/","name":"Iowa"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5363537/avenatti-explores-presidential-run/","name":"Stormy Daniels Lawyer Michael Avenatti Tells Iowans He's 'Exploring a Run for the Presidency'"}}]}] ```