President Trump on Tuesday called adult-film star Stormy Daniels “Horseface” and threatened to “go after” her after he won a court victory over his alleged mistress.
“’Federal Judge throws out Stormy Danials [sic] lawsuit versus Trump. Trump is entitled to full legal fees.’ @FoxNews Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!’ he tweeted.
The tweet comes one day after a federal judge in California threw out Daniels’s defamation lawsuit against Trump and ordered Daniels to repay the president’s legal fees.
Daniels’s attorney, Michael Avenatti, responded by calling Trump a “disgusting misogynist” and a “liar” who has dishonored his family and country.
“You are 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. How many other women did you cheat on your wife with while you had a baby at home?” he tweeted.
The former adult film star later hit back at Trump, making a ribald reference to his genitals.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present your president. In addition to his…umm…shortcomings, he has demonstrated his incompetence, hatred of women and lack of self control on Twitter AGAIN! And perhaps a penchant for bestiality. Game on, Tiny,” she tweeted.
The judge’s ruling does not affect a separate lawsuit Daniels is bringing against Trump regarding a 2016 nondisclosure agreement.
Daniels alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and that the former business mogul paid her $130,000 during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence.
{mosads}The payment is also being probed by federal prosecutors in New York City, who have already secured a guilty plea from Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who arranged the payment.
Cohen pleaded guilty to a campaign-finance violation in connection to the payment and said Trump directed him to make it. Trump’s team has denied he had an affair with Daniels and said he had no involvement in the hush-money agreement.
Critics denounced Trump’s language, calling it the latest example of his willingness to insult the appearances of women who pose a threat to him.
“To say this is unbecoming of any man, let alone the POTUS, is a vast understatement. And to say this enables teenage boys to feel they have a license to refer to girls w such names is obvious. It’s all very embarrassing,” said Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.), who is not seeking reelection.
Trump in September 2015 mocked then-Republican presidential primary opponent Carly Fiorina by saying, “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?”
In June 2017, Trump claimed MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski showed up to a New Year’s Eve party at his Florida resort while “bleeding badly from a face-lift” and refused to let her in.
The president’s latest insult comes just weeks before the November midterm elections, when Republican strategists fear the party could lose control of the House, in part, because of its poor marks among women.
Those concerns were also heightened during the battle over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation in the Senate, during which Trump mocked a woman who came forward to accuse the then-nominee of sexually assaulting her.
Trump appeared agitated on Tuesday morning, unleashing a barrage of morning tweets on a wide-range of topics.
He mocked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for taking a DNA test to prove her Native American ancestry, threatened to cut off aid to Honduras if it does not stop a migrant “caravan” from traveling toward the U.S., denied he has financial conflicts of interest with Saudi Arabia following the disappearance of a U.S.-based journalist and blasted Attorney General Jeff Sessions while calling the Russia probe a “WITCH HUNT.”
The president has no activities listed on his public schedule for Tuesday.
Updated at 12:20 p.m.