Michael Avenatti Announces He Will Not Run For President In 2020

Michael Avenatti will not be running for president in 2020, he announced Tuesday.

The embattled 47-year-old lawyer and frequent critic of President Donald Trump had said just months ago, in July, that he was considering a presidential bid.

“I do not make this decision lightly — I make it out of respect for my family,” Avenatti said in a statement. “But for their concerns, I would run.”

Avenatti released this official statement on Twitter Tuesday afternoon:

Avenatti first gained attention earlier this year for representing porn star Stormy Daniels, who sued Trump and his lawyer Michael Cohen for defamation regarding a sexual encounter she and the former Apprentice star had in 2006. The lawyer said in his statement that he would continue this fight. The attorney has since gone on to represent several women who have accused Trump or his allies of misconduct or defamation, including women who alleged they were sexually harassed or assaulted by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 

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Despite endearing himself to liberals across the country for his crusade against Trump and his allies, Avenatti recently found himself at the center of a scandal when he was arrested in Los Angeles last month following allegations of domestic violence brought by a New York actress named Mareli Miniutti. The lawyer vehemently denied the “bogus” accusations against him and said he was confident he would be “exonerated.” Although Avenatti has not been criminally charged, officials in Los Angeles are still reportedly holding an investigation into the claims against him. Avenatti blamed a right-wing conspiracy theorist for spreading the false allegations.

Avenatti also received some criticism recently when he said the Democratic presidential nominee in 2020 “better be a white male.”

In the last paragraph of his latest statement, Avenatti reiterated his concern that none of the proposed Democratic candidates for 2020 seem to be realistically capable of defeating Trump in the next presidential election.

“I remain concerned that the Democratic Party will move toward nominating an individual who might make an exceptional President but has no chance of actually beating Donald Trump,” he wrote. “The party must immediately recognize that many of the likely candidates are not battletested and have no real chance at winning. We will not prevail in 2020 without a fighter. I remain hopeful the party finds one.”