The road to the White House is littered with the broken spirits of former Never Trumpers — you know, like vice president-elect J.D. Vance, who once described his future running mate as “America’s Hitler” — but a recent mash note from one former Trump antagonist is particularly head-scratching.
“Congratulations to President Trump on his unprecedented, dominant result,” Michael Avenatti, 53, posted on X from his prison cell the day after the election. “There’s no denying his instincts, toughness, and resiliency.”
Avenatti, you may recall, was Stormy Daniels’ original attorney in her non-disclosure case against Trump and had been a virulent anti-Trump voice during the early days of the former (and future) president’s first term, an inescapable presence on CNN and MSNBC. In fact, he became so popular with the resistance set that he even flirted with the notion of running in the Democratic primaries to face off against Trump in 2020.
But, of course, his presidential ambitions imploded after it was discovered that Avenatti had stolen nearly $300,000 in book proceeds from the former porn star and defrauded several other clients while attempting a shakedown of sports clothing giant Nike.
The former lawyer is currently serving time at FCI Terminal Island in San Pedro, where access to mobile phones and social media are supposed to be highly restricted. “[At] no time do inmates have any access to the Internet,” the prison’s orientation handbook states flatly.
It’s unclear how Avenatti slipped past the online restrictions to post his congratulations, but clearly he’s found a loophole. In fact, after his post on X, he even responded to a message from The Hollywood Reporter conveyed to him by a third party via email.
“I am not at all surprised by the result,” Avenatti wrote us back. “The Democrats of today once again proved themselves incapable of identifying with the concerns of working people and speaking to those concerns a la Bill Clinton. At this point, there is no denying that Trump is a force of nature, with political instincts that are generally spot on and a communication style that is highly effective.”
What’s behind Avenatti’s change of heart about his former arch rival? One cynical explanation: Earlier this year, the Supreme Court rejected Avenatti’s appeal of his 2021 conviction in the Nike case, and although his 14-year sentence was last month sent back to a judge for possible reconsideration, he’s currently stuck behind bars until 2035. Unless, of course, a certain incoming President decides to pardon him.
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