Trump Accused Of Groping, Assault On Plane By Witness Testifying In Rape Defamation Trial — Recalls Telling Him 'I Don't Need This'

A woman has told jurors in a defamation trial that Donald Trump molested her aboard a plane in the 1970s.

What Happened: The incident took place years before E. Jean Carroll said Trump sexually assaulted her at a Manhattan department store, reported Al Jazeera.

Carroll is suing Trump for defamation after the former president denied the assault took place.

Jessica Leeds, aged 81 years, reportedly told the jury that Trump ran his hand up her skirt as they sat side by side in first class on a New York City-bound flight.

"I don't need this," said Leeds to Trump, as she wrested herself free and then moved to the back of the plane, according to the report. 

"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," said Leeds.

Why It Matters: Leeds first went public with her claims during the final weeks of Trump's 2016 campaign saying she decided to take the step because the former U.S. president claimed at a debate that he had never touched women against their will, reported Al Jazeera.

Leeds reportedly said that Trump, who has announced his candidature for the 2024 presidential elections, had introduced himself at the beginning of the flight. She revealed that the conversation between herself and him was forgettable. 

"All of a sudden Trump decided to kiss me and grope me," said Leeds. The North Carolina native said that no passengers or airline employees intervened and no sound was made by either of them.

Leeds said she refrained from reporting the incident as it was an era when "women didn't complain about things in the workplace," according to the report.

Carroll's lawyer Shawn Crowley had said in the opening remarks of the trial that Trump's assault on the writer could be verified by witnesses.

He had said at the time that the jury would hear testimony from two other women who say the former president assaulted them.

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