BY MICHAEL BALSAMO
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stormy Daniels: Freedom fighter or city icon?
The porn actress who is suing President Donald Trump was praised Wednesday as a heroine in West Hollywood, California.
About 100 people cheered and chanted “Stormy! Stormy!” as Daniels appeared outside an adult entertainment store called Chi Chi LaRue’s.
Mayor John Duran officially declared it “Stormy Daniels Day” and presented her with the key to the city.
“This community has a history of standing up to bullies and speaking truth to power, and I’m so lucky to be a part of it,” Daniels said.
Duran called Daniels a modern-day Lady Godiva who “has had to bear the slings and arrows of attacks not only from people all over this country, but from the most powerful person on the planet.”
Daniels and her attorney are “fighting back for all of us to get our country back into our hands,” said Duran.
Outside the store, a mannequin was adorned with a T-shirt with pink letters reading #TeamStormy. A banner with the city’s logo said “#resist.”
A liberal city of 35,000 with a huge LGBT population, West Hollywood has declared itself a sanctuary city and a “safe space” for people of all nationalities and immigration status.
Its City Council has vehemently opposed what it considers to be Trump administration bigotry and discrimination. Last year, the City Council approved a resolution calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach Trump.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has starred in dozens of adult films, including one called “Sexbots: Programmed for Pleasure” and a Sleeping Beauty parody where she played Maleficent. She also has been appearing at strip clubs across the country since gaining notoriety for her ties to the president.
Daniels alleges that she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and has sued to invalidate the confidentiality agreement she signed days before the 2016 presidential election. She contends the agreement is invalid because Trump never signed it.
She’s also suing Trump and his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, alleging defamation.
While Trump has denied the affair, Cohen has acknowledged paying Daniels $130,000 as part of the non-disclosure agreement.
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