Adult film star Stormy Daniels denies affair with Donald Trump

AS THE world watched Donald Trump’s big speech, the porn star who allegedly had an affair with the President stole his thunder.

ADULT film star Stormy Daniels has distanced herself from a statement in which she appeared to deny having an affair with President Donald Trump in a bizarre TV interview.

Appearing on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the porn star and director whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said she had no idea where the letter, released today, had come from.

The letter in question was released just hours before the live interview, part of a publicity tour by Daniels fuelled by past allegations of a 2006 sexual relationship with a then-married Donald Trump.

In the letter — which was confirmed as “authentic” by a lawyer acting for the woman — the author claiming to be Ms Clifford said she wasn’t denying the affair because she was paid “hush money,” but rather “because it never happened”.

But in her interview with Kimmel, Ms Clifford appears to deny the denial.

“Did you sign this letter that was released today?” her host asked.

Ms Clifford replied: “Doesn’t look like my signature, does it?”

Adult film actor and director Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, gave a bizarre interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP

When asked if she had “any idea” where the letter came from, she confirmed: “I do not.”

The adult entertainer appeared to further dismiss the denial, saying it “wasn’t the craziest thing I’ve read about myself on the internet today”.

“I also work for the FBI and I’m a man according to the internet,” she joked.

Ms Clifford refused to answer direct questions about the alleged affair, fuelling speculation she had signed a contract preventing her from publicly discussing it.

While allegations of a relationship were first made in 2011, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Mr Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen had brokered a $160,000 payment to Ms Clifford to keep her from discussing it.

A week after that report, In Touch magazine printed a 5000-word interview it conducted with Ms Clifford in 2011 but never published after Mr Cohen threatened the tabloid with a lawsuit.

In tonight’s TV appearance, Ms Clifford appeared to indirectly confirm she had signed a nondisclosure agreement.

Ms Clifford was cagey during the interview, but appeared to give away a few titbits. Picture: Randy Holmes/ABC via AP

After being consistently cagey when asked questions about the allegations, Kimmel decided to call his guest out.

This is how the potentially revealing exchange went:

Kimmel: “I know you either do or don’t have a nondisclosure agreement ... do you have a nondisclosure agreement?”

Clifford: “Do I?”

Kimmel: “You can’t say whether you have a nondisclosure agreement, but if you didn’t have a nondisclosure agreement, you most certainly say I don’t have a nondisclosure agreement. Yes?”

Clifford: “You’re so smart, Jimmy.”

Kimmel: “Thank you very much.”

Proud of his handiwork, Kimmel was keen to get into the details of the relationship his guest had all but confirmed.

Asking if his guest had given the In Touch magazine interview, Kimmel was told: “Not as it was written.”

The interview follows Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech. Picture: AFP

The cagey TV interview was timed to follow the President’s first State of the Union address.

It also followed a switch in production companies, given a television interview and promoted strip club appearances with a risque play on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.

Mr Trump has not directly addressed allegations of the relationship and his lawyer, Mr Cohen, has denied there was any affair.

In the interview at the centre of the allegations, Ms Clifford described a single sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, when he was recently married to his third wife, Melania, as well as a subsequent years-long relationship with the reality TV star.

The magazine said it corroborated her account with friends and said she passed a lie-detector test.