Adult-film star Stormy Daniels (née Stephanie Clifford) revealed a lot about her alleged short-term relationship with then-civilian Donald Trump during a spicy interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes. (Fun fact: This was the highest-rated episode for the show since November 2008, when Barack and Michelle Obama were interviewed about their historic election, according to Deadline.)
Most of the information Daniels disclosed was gravely concerning. In addition to alleging that someone physically threatened her to remain silent, she and her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, claim they have reason to believe Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, may have broken campaign finance law by paying her $130,000 in hush money just days before the 2016 presidential election. But, there was one tidbit from the interview that was downright hilarious: the president of the United States is reportedly terrified of sharks.
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Daniels told Cooper that she visited Trump at his Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow in the summer of 2007 for what she thought was going to be a business meeting to discuss a potential appearance on Celebrity Apprentice. Once she got there, however, she realized there'd be no time for shop talk.
"I remember arriving, and he was watching Shark Week," Daniels told Cooper. "He made me sit and watch an entire documentary about shark attacks."
After some sleuthing, TheWrap believes it has found the exact documentary Trump made Daniels watch, which is titled Ocean of Fear: The Worst Shark Attack Ever. Their evidence is compelling, as this was the only major shark attack film aired during 2007's Shark Week extravaganza.
The documentary, which was narrated by Jaws' Richard Dreyfuss, told the harrowing story of how 900 men were stranded in the ocean to fend off shark attacks after the Japanese torpedoed a U.S. military submarine in 1945. Ultimately, the film claims only 317 men survived.
The revelation that Trump may (or may not, all of this is still technically unproven) be obsessed with all things sharks has seemingly tainted Shark Week forever for some, including Dreyfuss' son, Ben, who serves as the editorial director at Mother Jones.
The shark week documentary Trump watched with Stormy Daniels was apparently narrated by my dad https://t.co/NEXYMsGeHU via @shmadison
— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) March 26, 2018
I think we can all agree that “60 Minutes” has ruined Shark Week forever. And magazines.
— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) March 26, 2018
Wanna watch Shark Week? pic.twitter.com/WjeiQLwKDy
— St Peter (@stpeteyontweety) March 25, 2018
Never gonna watch Shark Week the same way again.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 25, 2018
As for the White House, they're still firmly denying that the alleged affair between Trump and Daniels ever happened.
"I can speak for only the White House, and I can say that, categorically, obviously, the White House didn't engage in any wrongdoing," White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said during a press briefing on Monday afternoon.
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Asked about Stormy Daniels and whether a payment was made that violated federal law, White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said that "the White House didn’t engage in any wrongdoing” https://t.co/NxYQjBwyUa pic.twitter.com/yVz93Ro2bR
— CNN (@CNN) March 26, 2018
He later said that Trump has "consistently denied these allegations" and that "there's nothing to corroborate" any of Daniels' claims.
Meanwhile, evidence from Trump himself exists online to back Daniels' 2011 claims that he's is "terrified of sharks."
Sorry folks, I'm just not a fan of sharks - and don't worry, they will be around long after we are gone.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2013
What a time to be alive.
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