Joy Behar said on The View today that she thinks that it will be Stormy Daniels, not Russia, that brings down the Trump administration. All I can say is that whether that happens or not, Stormy Daniels is leaving her mark on this narrative in as many ways as possible.
According to The Daily Beast, Daniels—born Stephanie Clifford—has made it known that if she wins the lawsuit against President Trump and his “lawyer” Michael Cohen, she plans on donating $130,000 to Planned Parenthood. This is the same amount she was paid to keep silent about her alleged affair with Trump. Oh, and the donation will be in Trump and Cohen’s name.
When it comes to Stormy Daniels, there has been a mixed response. There are some that are enjoying the schadenfreude of the situation: a strong-willed woman going after Trump and allegedly exposing him for his bullying and infidelity. Others see her as an opportunist who is using something politically irrelevant to cash in on while breaking her NDA.
For me, Stormy Daniels is one more piece of the growing conversation about why we shouldn’t be dismissive towards sex workers and their experiences. Daniels says that the reason she is coming forward, despite whatever you may feel about her “deeper motives,” is to take back her voice; she feels was silenced by the agreement she made with Cohen.
That she is using this as a business opportunity in addition to everything else doesn’t strike me as inherently nefarious. Why shouldn’t she take advantage of a situation that has granted her the ear of the world? I mean, if Jared and Ivanka have been lining their pockets from inside the White House and using their connections to the President, why not Stormy Daniels?
Stormy Daniels isn’t claiming to be a hero, but she is standing up for herself—and if anything, this has signaled the end of men in powerful positions thinking that they can buy and sell the bodies and voices of sex workers with impunity. Stormy Daniels is saying she matters, and she’s doing it her way. In her interview with Penthouse, she says: “I don’t have shame. You can’t bully me.” Good. She shouldn’t feel ashamed, and she shouldn’t be ashamed of not wanted to be quiet anymore.
That’s more draining of the swamp than anything Tump has done in his time as President.
(via Refinery29, image: screengrab)
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