On March 30, former President Donald Trump faced indictment in New York City concerning allegations of hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, aimed at averting a scandal prior to the 2016 U.S. election. Daniels claims to have engaged in a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, a year following his marriage to Melania, long before his presidency. Trump denies the affair and asserts that the payment was to counter her “false and extortionist accusations.”
Here are the essential details regarding Daniels and her purported involvement with Trump:
**Stormy Daniels, Adult Film Star:**
Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has been a prominent figure in the adult film industry for over two decades, featuring in numerous films and also directing.
**Alleged Encounter with Trump:**
Daniels alleges that she met Trump in July 2006 at a celebrity golf event in Lake Tahoe. Following dinner at his hotel suite, she recounted a playful interaction where she jokingly swatted him with a magazine featuring his image. According to Daniels, Trump expressed admiration for her, likening her to his daughter and suggesting potential involvement in his TV show “Celebrity Apprentice.” She claims they engaged in consensual intercourse during this encounter. Subsequently, Trump purportedly contacted her over the next year, culminating in a meeting in July 2007 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Daniels declined further advances from Trump.
**Payment and Confidentiality Agreement:**
In the days leading up to the 2016 presidential election, Daniels signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in exchange for a $130,000 payment, orchestrated by Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Although the agreement was never signed by Trump himself, Daniels agreed to keep their alleged affair private. However, when news of the payment surfaced in 2018, Cohen admitted to facilitating the transaction with his own funds, disassociating Trump from the arrangement. Daniels subsequently pursued legal action to nullify the NDA, which was ultimately dismissed by a judge.
**Defamation Lawsuit:**
In addition to the NDA dispute, Daniels filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump in 2018 following his Twitter post characterizing her account of being threatened over revealing their relationship as a “con job.” However, the court ruled in favor of Trump, deeming his remarks protected under the First Amendment’s free speech clause. This decision was upheld on appeal, and the Supreme Court declined to review the case in 2021.
Throughout these legal battles, Daniels has remained steadfast in her claims, even releasing a sketch of a man she alleges threatened her in 2011 regarding her relationship with Trump. Trump has consistently refuted these accusations, dismissing them as fabrications aimed at exploiting the media.
