They call themselves the Stormy Troopers.

Kim Deinlein and Cynthia Lowe spent six hours in Tualatin Saturday in hopes of catching a glimpse of Stormy Daniels at Stars Cabaret.

The adult film star, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is the woman President Trump's lawyer paid $130,000 weeks before the 2016 election to ensure her silence about an alleged affair. The president admitted this month that money changed hands but has denied the affair.

Denlein and Lowe, Pacific Northwest natives, ended up getting quite a bit more than a peek of the woman they hoped would help end of the Trump presidency. They had front-row seats to the show, which netted Daniels thousands of dollars in a matter of minutes.

"I think that she's doing a great thing," Lowe said.

The Tualatin stop follows two other appearances by Daniels in Central Oregon and in Salem. All three were hosted by Stars Cabaret, where she took the stage twice each evening.

In Bend, the adult film star's first routine was delayed because her luggage had been lost on the flight in. And her second was cut short when a man threw his wallet onstage and smacked her in the face.

The Salem shows, much like Daniels' appearance in the Portland area, seem to have gone on without a hitch.

The crowd in Tualatin was fairly reserved until she took the stage. Daniels was originally to begin her routine at 10 p.m., which came and went with hardly a mention tardiness on the dancer's part.

As the night wore on, folks were more than happy to toss dollar bills onto the stage as other women danced and removed their clothing bit by bit.

Linda Johnston, 79, watched from the bar with her husband Tim, 83. The longtime Lake Oswego residents were there to support Daniels, they said.

"I hope she nails him," Tim Johnston said, following his wife's assertion that the federal investigation into the president's alleged hush payment would end his administration.

Of the 12 people circling the stage where Daniels was initially meant to perform, only three were men. Eight of the women said they would be elsewhere if it wasn't for her appearance at the venue.

The last woman was Stella Harris, sex columnist for Willamette Week.

Lowe, 62, one of the two Stormy Troopers, was seated next to her friend, cocktail in hand. It was her first time in a strip club, and she was surprised by how much she was enjoying herself.

"I'm just impressed by all of these girls," she said moments after a woman slid down a pole with her legs thrust to the ceiling.

The outing was old hat for Deinlein, 55, who visits Portland clubs at least once a month with her husband. She and Lowe had originally planned to scout Daniels' performance with a larger group.

When the majority of their party bailed, the two decided to forge ahead. And on Saturday morning, Deinlein was hit with an idea.

What if they wore shirts? And what if those shirts sported the illustration of a lingerie-clad woman wearing a Stormtrooper's helmet from "Star Wars" Deinlein's friend had recently drawn?

They could call themselves Stormy Troopers.

The idea hit Deinlein like a bolt of lightning, she said. It wasn't too long until she bought two red V-neck T-shirts and secured her friend's permission to produce a pair of iron-on patches featuring his design.

They wore the shirts to the show, hoping they could at least get Daniels to sign one.

"If she asked me for the shirt off my back, I'd gladly oblige," Deinlein said.

The two women were front and center when the adult film star hit the stage at 11 p.m., clad in a blue-and-white-starred bustier and long red skirt. Daniels began by dancing to Lenny Kravitz's cover of "American Woman" and the stage was littered with $1 bills by the time the song ended.

As Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" played over the Stars Cabaret sound system, Daniels solicited bids for a T-shirt she'd begun dancing with.

"Do I hear $40?" the MC said as men and women raised cash above their heads.

That $40 was raised to $100. Then $140. Soon the MC was asking if anyone had $200. By the time Daniels handed the shirt over, a man was shoving a fistful of cash in the air he claimed totaled $400.

The crowd chanted, "Stormy! Stormy! Stormy!"

Soon, "American Girl" began to play and Daniels was selling off blue wristbands that would give the wearers priority access to a photo op with the adult film star for $20 a pop. Neither Lowe nor Deinlein secured one.

But that didn't matter.

"We've been here for six hours," Lowe told one of the bodyguards managing the crowd. "Can't we get in and get our picture taken?"

A Stars staffer shot photos for 30 men and women before Lowe and Deinlein had their turn. Even then, a line spilled from the middle of the venue and into the back alley as they gushed over Daniels.

"We love what you're doing," Lowe said as Daniels shook her hand.

The adult film star smiled, asked Deinlein to turn around so she could sign the red Stormy Troopers shirt, and gave them both a wave as the next person approached her for a photo.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.com