Michael Avenatti says he won't run for president in 2020
- Michael Avenatti, best known for representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her suit against President Donald Trump, announced Tuesday he does not plan to run for president as a Democrat in 2020.
- Avenatti stoked speculation for a possible 2020 bid for months.
- "We will not prevail in 2020 without a fighter," his statement said. "I remain hopeful that the party finds one."
After months of speculation over his political future, bombastic attorney Michael Avenatti said Tuesday he does not plan to run for president as a Democrat in 2020.
In a statement posted to his Twitter account, Avenatti said that following "consultation with my family and at their request, I have decided not to seek the Presidency of the United States in 2020."
Avenatti is best known for representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her suit against President Donald Trump. He gained national prominence representing Daniels in a bid to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement she signed agreeing to stay silent about an alleged 2006 affair with Trump in exchange for $130,000.
He also represented migrant mothers who were separated from their children at the border as part of the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy, as well as a woman who alleged sexual misconduct against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
In October, Avenatti came under fire for being quoted in TIME Magazine as saying that the 2020 Democratic nominee "better be a white male."
In his statement Tuesday, he said he remained "concerned" about the Democratic Party's path forward.
"I remain concerned that the Democratic party will move toward nominating an individual who might make an exceptional President but has no chance of actually beating Donald Trump," he said. "We will not prevail in 2020 without a fighter. I remain hopeful that the party finds one."