Michael Avenatti says he could be the 'fighter' the Democrats have been waiting for

Michael Avenatti is looking ahead to 2020.

Avenatti, the attorney representing adult film star Stormy Daniels in her case against President Trump, is in Iowa "exploring a run for the presidency of the United States," he told the Des Moines Register Thursday. He said he wanted to come to Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state, in order to "listen to people and learn about some issues that are facing the citizens of Iowa and do my homework." Avenatti spent Thursday at the Iowa State Fair, where he was stopped by people asking for selfies, and he plans on speaking at the Democratic Wing Ding fundraiser on Friday night.

Avenatti is known for his many television appearances, where he blasts Trump and most people in the president's orbit, and he told the Register he would "never think to come to Iowa in order to use the state or the people of the state to raise my profile," adding, "the trust of the citizens of Iowa is going to have to be earned."

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He will tell Democrats in the state that they need to take on Trump, and believes "there's a huge appetite within the party for a fighter. I think the party has yearned for a fighter — a fighter for good, if you will — for a significant period of time. And for many, I'm probably seen as that individual."