Update| President Donald Trump is 'terrified' of sharks and hopes they all die, according to adult film actress, Stormy Daniels.
Daniels discussed Trump's odd fascination with sharks in an InTouch interview conducted in 2011 and released in full on Friday. Daniels has claimed that she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
In the interview, the porn star claimed that during one of her dinners with him at his Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles in July 2006, the TV in the background was playing an episode from the popular television event, Shark Week.
"You could see the television from the little dining room table and he was watching Shark Week and he was watching a special about the U.S.S. something and it sank and it was like the worst shark attack in history. He is obsessed with sharks. Terrified of sharks," said Daniels.
The adult film actress added that Trump was "riveted" and "obsessed" with the show, despite his fear of them.
"He was like, 'I donate to all these charities and I would never donate to any charity that helps sharks. I hope all the sharks die.' He was like riveted. He was like obsessed. It's so strange, I know," she said.
The White House did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, became the center of attention last week when allegations of an affair between Trump and Daniels surfaced in a Wall Street Journal article that reported she was given a $130,000 payout to stay silent. Michael Cohen, Trump's lawyer, denies the 2006 encounter between Daniels and Trump took place has not addressed reports of a payment.
Surprisingly, Trump's fascination with sharks is not new. Trump tweeted his hatred for the creatures back in 2013.
"Sorry folks, I'm just not a fan of sharks - and don't worry, they will be around long after we are gone," Trump tweeted. "Sharks are last on my list - other than perhaps the losers and haters of the World," he continued.
holy shit holy shit holy shit pic.twitter.com/z8eAwf52sT
— David Mack (@davidmackau) January 19, 2018
Shark Week is a week-long televised event on the Discovery channel that airs during the summer with shark stories and innovative research technology to offer insight into the shark world. Last year, a video of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps racing against a computer simulation of a great white shark went viral.
Update: This story was updated to reflect that the White House did not respond for a request to comment.
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