When the 2005 Access Hollywood tape of Donald Trump leaked in October 2016, many thought it would be the final nail in the coffin of his presidential campaign. But it wasn’t. He got elected, and any concerns about the nonconsensual actions of Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women, were swept under the rug. Two years later, the tape is still being used to justify other forms of illegal, sexist behavior, including the actions of a Florida man arrested for allegedly groping a total stranger during a Southwest flight on Sunday.
According to BuzzFeed News, an FBI affidavit revealed that Bruce Michael Alexander told police that President Donald Trump said "it's OK to grab women by their private parts.” The 49-year-old was charged with abusive sexual contact in Albuquerque, New Mexico federal court.
In the 2005 footage, Trump is heard talking to Billy Bush about the illegal and inappropriate ways he treats women.
"You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful, I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything," he says."Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
The woman Alexander groped reportedly sat in front of him during their flight from Houston to Albuquerque. She filed a criminal complaint stating that she felt a hand grab her right breast from behind twice during the journey. She thought the first incident might be an accident, until it happened again 30 minutes later. Per BuzzFeed, “the woman felt fingers grab the back of her arm, squeeze her above her elbow, and then grope her again around her ribs and breast.”
She then confronted Alexander and asked to be relocated. When the flight landed he was detained and, as a spokesperson for Southwest airlines said, law enforcement was called “due to reports of a Customer’s alleged inappropriate behavior onboard."
After being detained, Alexander pulled out his Trump defense. He currently remains in federal custody, and if convicted, he’ll face a $250,000 fine and up to two years in prison.
