- Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 70s, said he recognized her two years later.
- Leeds said Trump called her "that cunt from the airplane" to her face.
Jessica Leeds, who has accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1970s on a flight to New York, said the real estate mogul recognized her two years later, calling her "that cunt from the airplane."
Leeds testified in the E. Jean Carroll rape and defamation trial against Trump on Tuesday, saying she was a traveling saleswoman at the time of the alleged assault in 1979.
While on a flight to LaGuardia Airport, she was bumped from economy to first class and sat next to Trump. After chatting and having lunch together, Leeds alleges that Trump started groping her. She said it was "like he had 40 zillion hands."
"It was when he was putting his hand up my shirt, it kind of gave me a jolt of strength, and I pulled away," she testified in court.
Leeds said she didn't initially tell anyone about the alleged assault, citing a "pervasive" culture of gender-based harassment at the time, telling the courtroom that disclosing the incident likely would not have mattered.
"In the late seventies, women didn't complain about sexual assault in the workplace," she testified.
Two years later, Leeds said she was working at a gala in New York City when she ran into attendees Trump and his then-wife Ivana, who was pregnant at the time.
Leeds said Trump recognized her, saying: "I remember you, you're that cunt from the airplane."
The moment was "like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over my head," Leeds said in court. "It was like suddenly a crowded room became empty and I was standing there all by myself."
She said Trump immediately spotted her at the gala, despite the passage of time and her sporting a new hairstyle and different wardrobe. Leeds said she took a moment to gather herself and then went home.
In recent years, Leeds has spoken out about the alleged assault, detailing both the airplane incident and Trump's later comment in interviews.
The businesswoman has also been vocal about her distaste for Trump's politics and presidency, which the former president's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, attempted to raise as an issue in court on Tuesday.
Leeds responded by saying her testimony was not politically motivated and is just "the truth."
She and Carroll met for the first time in 2019 when Carroll conducted a series of interviews for The Atlantic with women who have alleged sexual assault by Trump, she said. Leeds described the two as acquaintances.
Following her testimony this week, Leeds told Insider that was "exhausted, above all else."
"I hope I never have to tell that story again," she added.