President Donald Trump on Wednesday wouldn’t back down from his insult of porn actress Stormy Daniels as “Horseface,” telling The Associated Press to take the nasty remark “any way you want.”
Trump, who has a long history of making demeaning comments about women’s appearances, sparked an uproar Tuesday while gloating about a federal judge’s decision dismissing Daniels’ defamation lawsuit against him. Daniels, who alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006, sued after Trump mocked her claim of being threatened after she came forward.
Trump, in an interview with three AP reporters, was asked about the backlash over his horseface put-down.
“Sir, as the president of the United States, is it appropriate to call a woman, and even one who is making serious allegations and who you are in litigation against, to call her a horseface?” one of the AP reporters asked.
“You know what? You can take it any way you want,” Trump answered. When the reporter asked how people should take it, Trump said:
“Did you see the letter? She put out a letter. I had nothing to do with her. So she can lie and she can do whatever she wants to do. She can hire a phony lawyer. You take a look at this guy, a stone-cold loser. Take a look at his past.”
The “loser” swipe was directed at Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, who frequently trades insults with Trump on Twitter. Avenatti slammed Trump after the “horseface” tweet, calling him a “disgusting misogynist” and “an embarrassment to the United States.”
“Bring everything you have, because we are going to demonstrate to the world what a complete shyster and liar you are,” tweeted Avenatti. “How many other women did you cheat on your wife with while you had a baby at home?”
Daniels also responded to Trump’s abuse, echoing her book’s description of Trump’s genitals: “Game on, Tiny.”
“They can say anything about me,” Trump told the AP reporters. “I’m just saying, I just speak for myself. You take a look, and you make your own determination.”