Why the Storm With Stormy Daniels?

Adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, better known by her stage name Stormy Daniels, allegedly had an affair with President Donald Trump in 2006. She is now suing Mr. Trump in order to be released from a non-disclosure agreement that prevents her from discussing the affair, which she had signed in exchange for hush money. Media outlets have pounced on covering the scandal, and the public has lapped it up; a 60 Minutes interview with Ms. Clifford led to the show attracting the most viewers since its interview with former President Obama after his election.

However, this persistent media coverage is ultimately a distraction from an administration increasingly plagued by high turnover, incoherent policy, and an impending sense of doom stemming from special counsel Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the election. These flaws, if any, will be the ones that bring Trump’s presidency down. After all, Trump has survived accusations of sexual misconduct by at least 15 women since the 1980s. Even his infamous quote from the 2005 Access Hollywood tapes, “you grab them [women] by the pussy,” stirred up little discord among his ardent supporters.

If a string of accusations and a blatantly predatory quote weren’t enough to harm Trump, Ms. Clifford’s allegations barely threaten him. Ms. Clifford herself has said that she “was not a victim.” The relationship, if it did occur, was fully consensual, with Ms. Clifford using it to try and secure a role on Mr. Trump’s show, “The Apprentice.” The actions of both Mr. Trump and Ms. Clifford in this relationship were morally questionable. However, they were almost certainly not illegal, leaving little reason for his impeachment or his voting out of office come 2020.

On the other hand, the actions of Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, may not be as legal. He was responsible for paying Ms. Clifford $130,000 in 2016 in exchange for her silence. The payment raises questions of mismanagement of campaign funds. Cohen claims he used his own money to pay off Ms. Clifford. However, if he did so, this may amount to an illegal campaign contribution, as the payment was designed to help Trump’s election campaign and could thus be considered an “in-kind” contribution, one that exceeded federal contribution limits. According to Trevor Potter, a former commissioner of the Federal Elections Commission, that could create “an enormous legal mess” for Cohen, Trump, and others involved in the election campaign. Fortunately for Trump, this potential legal quagmire holds little potential for threatening his place in office.

That’s not to say that the Stormy Daniels saga doesn’t further tarnish Trump’s reputation. Ms. Clifford’s account of spanking the sitting president with a magazine serves to reduce his credibility by painting the oft-loathed politician as submissive and unthreatening. And amidst constant media coverage, the usually outspoken Trump has barely addressed his accuser, whether on Twitter or in rallies, only saying that no relationship occurred. With Ms. Clifford’s hush money and her non-disclosure agreement exposed for the public to see, this weak denial holds little water for those who are inclined to dislike the president.

But Trump’s supporters are more than willing to dismiss and ignore Trump’s infidelities. During Donald Trump’s election campaign, many social conservatives eventually resigned themselves to supporting Trump, even enthusiastically, despite his two previous divorces. And as the National Review’s Jonah Goldberg charged, social conservatives like Mike Huckabee have simply deflected the scandal, and Trump’s broader voter base shows no sign of deviating off course. Amidst the scandal, Trump’s approval rating has climbed to the highest it’s been for months at 43 percent. If the Stormy Daniels scandal holds little legal trouble for Donald Trump and is unlikely to sway his base into voting differently, it’s less of a scandal so much as a distraction.

At the root of the problem is the media’s preference to cover the character rather than the policy of presidents. Exposing presidential moral failings and affairs tends to attract more readership and viewership than dry discussions of their more substantive actions. However, more sensational coverage tends to only have a partisan impact. During the Republicans’ impeachment proceedings against former Democratic president Bill Clinton, Democrats felt that the Monica Lewinsky scandal was only an attempt to disrupt his presidency. Trump supporters now have a similar view of the many scandals that have enveloped Trump.

Instead, the media should refocus its attention on exposing the corruption lying beneath the surface of the Trump campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller continues to drive the investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia, and ethically compromised officials such as the E.P.A.’s Scott Pruitt have come under fire. The only U.S. president ever to have resigned, Richard Nixon, was compelled to do so after an investigation into his interference with the Democratic campaign for re-election. While that outcome may seem inevitable now, it was the result of over two years of investigation and coverage by government investigators and the media. If the media takes its role as government watchdog seriously, it should remember that policies, not porn stars, take down presidents.