Who is Stormy Daniels? The adult film star in Trump spotlight

Although her feud with Donald Trump has cost her, Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star, has addressed her increasing role in US political history with dignity and wit.

The former president and the adult film actress have been at odds for a while. In 2018, the actress claimed that they had a sexual relationship in the summer of 2006.

Trump supporters frequently disparage Daniels on social media, mimicking their Republican leader and calling her a "horse face".

Nonetheless, Daniels, 44, who once considered running for office herself, has mainly handled the spotlight with confidence.

"I have so many messages coming in that I can't respond...also don't want to spill my champagne," she tweeted Thursday while also plugging her #TeamStormy merchandise after Trump was indicted.

Stormy Daniels history

She was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was brought up by her mother as a result of her parent's divorce. Stephanie Clifford is her true name, however, she prefers to use stage one.

She claimed in a 2018 memoir that she was sexually assaulted at age nine by an older guy and ignored by her family.

She was a good student and a horse enthusiast despite everything.

She first turned to striptease as a means of support before moving on to the adult film industry, where she rose to fame as an actor, director, and screenwriter while winning numerous honours.

Fighting back

But it was her relationship with Trump that introduced her to the wider American public.

Daniels says she first crossed paths with the real estate mogul in the summer of 2006 during a charity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, on the border between California and Nevada.

The actress had just made a brief appearance in the Judd Apatow film, "The 40-year-old Virgin."

Daniels was 27 at the time and Trump 60.

According to Daniels's account, he invited her to dinner in his suite where he welcomed her in his pajamas on his sofa.

She claims they went on to have what "may have been the least impressive sex I'd ever had."

Trump has denied they ever had sexual relations, accusing Daniels of "extortion" and a "total con job."

What is known for sure is that Daniels received $130,000 just before the 2016 presidential election — a hush payment.

That payment is at the heart of the Manhattan district attorney's indictment of Trump, reportedly on possible violation of campaign finance laws.

Once the transaction was revealed in 2018, Daniels asked courts to nullify her nondisclosure agreement with Trump and began making the rounds on television shows.

On CBS's "60 Minutes," she said she wanted to set the record straight.

"I'm not a victim," she stated flatly. And even if she was not attracted to him that night in Lake Tahoe, she said their relationship was consensual.

The actress was also clear-eyed about the promises she said Trump made regarding a possible role in the hit show "The Apprentice," in which he starred.

Did she think he was trying to lure her?

"Of course. I mean, I'm not blind. But at the same time, maybe it'll work out," she said, adding that she saw the relationship as a potential career boost.

She has since taunted him with a crude monikers of her own — such as "Tiny," an unflattering reference to his anatomy.

Daniels, who gave serious consideration to running for a US Senate seat from Louisiana in 2010, has a daughter, and last year married her fourth husband fellow adult film actor Barrett Blade.

While she sipped champagne, her attorneys took a more sober stance.

"The indictment of Donald Trump is no cause for joy," they said in a statement. "The hard work and conscientiousness of the grand jurors must be respected. Now let truth and justice prevail."