Attorney Michael Avenatti and former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge visit in Iowa State Fair livestock pavilion.
The attorney representing adult film star Stormy Daniels in her legal battle with the president is in Iowa and Michael Avenatti is making it clear the trip shows he is “seriously considering” running for president.
“It’s going to be a very broad field in 2020…and I think the Democrats had better be sure that whoever they nominate can actually beat Donald Trump,” Avenatti said during an interview with Radio Iowa.
Avenatti, who worked briefly for Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt after Gephardt won the 1988 Iowa Caucuses, visited the Iowa State Fair today and met with Democratic Party activists.
On Friday, he will speak at the annual “Wing Ding” in Clear Lake, a fundraiser for Democrats from several north central Iowa counties.
Avenatti said Democrats today must fashion a message to appeal to Americans who are economically insecure.
“I think it means that you are constantly fighting for Davids versus Goliaths,” Avenatti told Radio Iowa.
Avenatti suggested his legal work and media appearances on behalf of his client, Stormy Daniels, show he has the skills to match Trump on the political stage.
“I think you trump Trump in the way that you do with most bullies and that is you take the fight directly to him and you don’t back down,” Avenatti said. “And I think as has been demonstrated over the last five to six months, we’ve had a significant degree of success in the way that we’ve dealt with him.”
Avenatti also pointed to the 16 “very experienced politicians” Trump beat to win the Republican Party’s presidential nomination and he warned Democrats had better not be “squeamish” about selecting the kind of candidate who can do battle with Trump.
“We should not nominate someone, necessarily, that would make the best president because the person that would make the best president may not be able to beat Donald Trump,” Avenatti said, “in which case it doesn’t mean a lot.”
Avenatti isn’t the only potential presidential candidate of the future scheduled to speak in Clear Lake Friday evening at The Surf Ballroom. Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan and businessman Andrew Yang will appear at the event, too, alongside Maryland Congressman John Delaney who already has declared he’s running for president and aims to visit his 99th Iowa county on Sunday.