What You Need to Know About Allegations of Donald Trump Groping Woman on a Flight

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of sexual assault that some readers may find distressing.

Though she first made the claims in 2016, last year, Jessica Leeds recounted the alleged sexual assault, and her testimony was incorporated in a defamation and rape lawsuit that writer E. Jean Carroll brought against former president Donald Trump. During a federal court hearing in Manhattan, Leeds claimed that in 1978 or 1979 Trump reached up and stroked her skirt as they were traveling to New York in business class. Carroll's lawyers presented Leeds as a witness to persuade the nine-person jury that Trump was involved in a pattern of sexual misbehavior.

Leeds testified that a flight hostess had taken her from the rear of the aircraft and informed her that she had an invitation to first class, but she had no idea who Trump was. As per Daily Beast, Leeds said, "I wasn’t aware of the social scene or the real estate scene in New York City." She went on to say that she and Trump were on the same aisle, but that Trump was seated in a row facing the bulkhead, beside the window. 

As reported by PBS, Leeds, a former Wall Street stockbroker and current resident of North Carolina's Smoky Mountains, stated during the trial, "There was no conversation. It was like out of the blue. He was trying to kiss me, trying to pull me towards him. He was grabbing my breasts. It was like he had 40 zillion hands. It was like a tussling match between the two of us." 

Leeds also said she was able to get the courage to stand up and stomp back to her original seat in the back of the aircraft after he put his hand up her skirt, according to her testimony. Leeds then added that in 1981, at a Manhattan Humane Society event, Leeds claimed that she met Trump again, leading to gasps in the courtroom. As per her version of events, the real estate mogul allegedly saw her and said, "I remember you. You're that c-nt from the airplane." Ivana Trump, then pregnant, was with him at the time.

Nevertheless, to reassure the public that he would never have sexually assaulted Jessica Leeds, the former president has recently made Leeds the object of his harsh comments once again. As reported by Axios, he told reporters, "She would not have been the chosen one," as if to suggest that her looks weren't up to par with his expectations. In retaliation, Leeds staged her own news conference to address his remark.

After the event, Leeds referred to the Republican presidential nominee as a 'sexual predator' and said that she is considering legal action, including a possible lawsuit. As reported by CNN, Leeds said, "I laughed out loud. I couldn’t believe that he was using that word like some sort of cult figure."

Sexual Assault: If you are being subjected to sexual assault, or know of anyone who is, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).