Can Trump Weather the Stormy Daniels Affair?
- Donald Trump allegedly had an affair with former porn star Stormy Daniels.
- The President has been uncharacteristically quiet on the matter, for now.
- Trump is suing Daniels; Daniels is suing Trump’s lawyer; and Trump’s lawyer may have violated campaign financing laws.
Be honest, were you genuinely surprised when it was revealed that Donald Trump (allegedly) had an affair with a porn star?
Me neither. It’s par for the course when it comes to the Trump Presidency. However, unlike the “Access Hollywood” scandal and the multiple sexual misconduct allegations, this scandal actually seems to have a bit of staying power.
At the moment, we’re just feasting on rumors. Nothing has been confirmed and very little has even been denied. Will we actually see proof of the affair, or is this all just a publicity stunt?
We’ll find out soon enough. For now, let’s consider some props.
Will Trump Tweet about Stormy?
| PROP | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump tweets about Stormy Daniels in 2018 | 2/1 |
The president has never shied away from a Twitter war — until now. Trump has remained eerily silent when it comes to the Stormy Daniels allegations. His staff have labelled Stephanie Clifford (Stormy Daniels) a liar, his legal team has threatened to sue for $20 million in damages, but Trump himself hasn’t made a peep. No “FAKE NEWS” tweet, no “Lyin’ Stormy” moniker — nothing!
Trump has publicly hit back at every scandal in the past, from the Access Hollywood tape to multiple sexual allegations. So why is he so tight-lipped now?
If this story continues to dominate the headlines, we may just see him break the silence.
Will Trump’s Marriage Survive?
| PROP | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Melania Trump files for divorce in 2018 | 5/1 |
Vanessa Trump, Don Jr.’s soon-to-be ex-wife, filed for divorce after it was revealed that the eldest Trump son had been (allegedly) having an affair with a former contestant on Celebrity Apprentice. It was allegedly more than just a fling; the pair even had plans to start a family. Allegedly.
Perhaps Melania Trump will follow suit and hand Donald Trump his third divorce — a prenuptial trifecta! The First Lady is rumored to be miserable in D.C and longs for the days when she could live a relatively private life in New York. Well, there’s one way for her to quit the role of First Lady.
It’s fair to say that Melania knew what she was getting into when she married Trump. His extra-marital affairs and “locker room behavior” had been well-documented by the time she declared, “I do!”
Is the Stormy Daniels saga the final straw, though?
Will Trump Respond on 60 Minutes?
| PROP | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Trump goes on 60 minutes in 2018 | 7/1 |
The only thing worse than dragging Trump’s name through the mud is beating his ratings. The Stormy Daniels interview on 60 Minutes reached 22 million viewers, the highest since Barack and Michelle Obama back in 2008.
When Trump appeared on “60” after winning the 2016 election, he pulled in 19 million viewers. Both Stormy Daniels and the Obamas have one over him. That’s gotta sting. Perhaps he’ll return to the long-running news-magazine and try to claim the top spot.
What Evidence Does Stormy Have?
| Props | Odds |
|---|---|
| Stormy releases evidence of the affair | 3/1 |
| The contents of the “Stormy Disc” are released: | 7/1 |
At the moment it’s a matter of “He said, she said.”
Well, not quite. More like, “She said, he… told his legal team to sue for damages.” Whatever we want to call it, there’s no conclusive evidence of the affair — yet. Daniels’ lawyer tweeted a picture of a disc along with the caption: “If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is this worth???? #60minutes #pleasedenyit #basta.”
When pressed about the tweet, the lawyer danced around the issue and didn’t confirm or deny anything. Perhaps it’s just a publicity stunt, perhaps it actually contains proof. We’ll have to wait and see.
What’s on the Stormy Disc?
| Odds the “Stormy Disc” contains … | Odds |
|---|---|
| Email records confirming the affair: | 10/1 |
| Photo evidence of the affair | 15/1 |
| Video evidence of the affair | 25/1 |
| The infamous “Pee Tape” | 100/1 |
| The music video to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up | 150/1 |
| Hillary’s deleted emails | 300/1 |
Lawsuits on Lawsuits
| Props | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds Stormy Daniels is successfully sued for damages by Trump | 3/1 |
| Odds the Trump Campaign is punished for violating campaign financing laws | 4/1 |
The whole Stormy Daniels fiasco is a legal quagmire. Did Stormy Daniels violate a “hush agreement”? If so, she owes $1 million for each time she’s broken her silence. According to Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, that adds up to $20 million! Daniels has hit back by counter-suing Michael Cohen for defamation.
And to complicate things even further, the Trump Campaign have have violated campaign financing laws. Michael Cohen’s $130,000 hush money settlement, which was paid out-of-pocket by Cohen himself, could potentially be an illegal contribution to Donald Trump’s campaign.
It’s a mess upon a mess upon a mess. Usually, the only people that benefit from an affair are the lawyers. But this time, even the lawyer is getting screwed!
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
