Jessica Leeds

Jessica Leeds and Donald J. Trump

In the mid-to-late 1970s, Jessica Leeds, a former stockbroker and businesswoman, alleges she endured a disturbing encounter with Donald J. Trump aboard a first-class flight from Texas to New York. Leeds claims Trump groped her without consent, touching her breasts and attempting to move his hand up her skirt, despite her efforts to fend him off. She recounted to The New York Times in 2016 that the assault lasted “about 15 minutes” until she fled to a coach seat (Web ID: 8).

Leeds first shared her story publicly on October 14, 2016, during Trump’s initial presidential campaign, amid a wave of sexual misconduct allegations against him. She described him as an “octopus” whose hands were “all over me” after a brief chat about her job, triggered by the Access Hollywood tape’s release days earlier (Web ID: 11). Now in her early 80s, Leeds said she felt compelled to speak out as part of the #MeToo reckoning.

Trump has consistently denied the accusation, labeling it “false” and “totally ridiculous” during an October 2016 rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. He claimed Leeds was “not my type” and suggested her story—surfacing close trgto the election—was a Democratic ploy, a defense echoed by his campaign and supporters on X (Post ID: 2). No photographic evidence ties them together from that era.

Leeds’ testimony gained renewed attention in May 2023 when she testified in E. Jean Carroll’s civil trial against Trump in Manhattan (Carroll v. Trump, Case No. 20-cv-7311). Supporting Carroll’s rape claim, Leeds detailed her own experience to establish a pattern of behavior, helping secure a $5M verdict for sexual abuse and defamation (Web ID: 15). Legal analysts noted her calm, consistent delivery bolstered Carroll’s case (Web ID: 6).

In 2025, as Trump began his second term, Leeds, now 82, spoke out again. On February 15, she told The Guardian she’s “exhausted” by Trump allies’ online attacks—e.g., X posts calling her a “liar” (Post ID: 4)—but remains resolute. “This isn’t just about me; it’s about a system that shields men like him,” she said, hinting at exploring a defamation suit if Trump’s post-inauguration Truth Social jabs persist (Web ID: 3). As of March 9, no new legal filings have emerged, but her story continues to resonate in #MeToo discussions.