Michael Avenatti Fails To Answer Simple Questions in Interview

Michael Avenatti, the California lawyer representing porn star Stormy Daniels, is considering running for president on the Democratic ticket in 2020. “I believe that the Democratic Party must be a party that fights fire with fire,” he told Iowa Democrats at a fundraising dinner on August 10. “When they go low, I say we hit harder."

But does he have what it takes to defeat Trump and become the next Commander-in-Chief?

In an interview on "This Week" Sunday with ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, Avenatti was unable to answer simple questions regarding economic and foreign policy.

"Would you repeal all of the Trump tax cuts?" Karl asked Avenatti.

"I haven't decided yet. I'm still analyzing the issue," he said.

Embed from Getty Images

Karl then asked Avenatti what the biggest national security threat facing the United States right now is.

"I think it would be the situation in the Middle East and -- well, I would say twofold. It's North Korea and Iran," Avenatti replied. He went on criticizing Donald Trump's foreign policy. "If you're going to go to Singapore and have a summit, you don't go there for a photo-op in front of some flags and a red carpet. You actually go there to get something done," he stated.

On issues like trade Avenatti didn't seem to have a clear strategy, either. He said that he supports free trade and that he would "revive" but also "try to revise" the Trans-Pacific Parthership (TPP). In January 2017 Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from TPP.

Avenatti agreed with the President that "there has been a number of trade deals that have been put in place over the years that have been one-sided", remarking that free trade must also be "fair". However, Avenatti did not elaborate on the details of his economic policy.

Karl asked Avenatti how he would pay for Medicare for All. Avenatti said: "Well, I mean I’d think you start with not building the wall on the southern border. I think you also figure out how -- what you’re going to do relating to some of these tax breaks that were just given."

When asked if Nancy Pelosi should become speaker of the House, Avenatti replied: "You know, I think that's a very tough decision. I think the House leadership is ultimately -- and the House of Reps is going to make that decision. I don't know yet."

Avenatti said that he should be taken seriously because he has "been fighting on behalf of Davids versus Goliaths, some of the largest corporations in the world, con men, fraudsters" for over 18 years, and that he has had "great success" as a lawyer. He added that he is a "student of the law" who is "very well-versed in a lot of issues that are at the forefront of our society right now" such as "environmental, issues, issues relating to the Supreme Court, issues relating to working people."

Karl remarked that when Trump ran for president, trade was the signature issue he had been talking for 30 years about. "What is the Avenatti policy issue that you’ve been talking about over the years," Karl asked.

"The truth," Avenatti replied. "That is my policy. That is my policy issue, quote-unquote, is the truth. The facts and evidence. I deal and have dealt in 18 years with facts and evidence."

Avenatti may be a good candidate, but he should be better prepared to answer simple questions and articulate his policy. Being tough or anti-Trump is not enough to win an election and lead a country for 4 years. Without a clear vision for the future of the US economy and society, without specific plans as to how to implement his policies and bring about the change a majority of the American people want, he does not deserve to be taken seriously.

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