Man gropes woman on airplane, says it’s okay because the president does it, too

On Sunday, October 21st, a Florida man was arrested for allegedly groping a woman on an airplane…and he told police that he shouldn’t get in trouble because President Donald Trump says it’s okay to do so.

Yep.

According to HuffPost, Bruce Michael Alexander was arrested after being accused of groping a woman’s breast on a Southwest Airlines flight from Texas to New Mexico. He allegedly leaned forward twice and grabbed the female passenger sitting in front of him, according to court documents. The woman in question, who has not been named, told authorities she initially believed the first touch was an accident.

About 30 minutes later, she felt him grope her for a third time, so she confronted Alexander, telling him she didn’t understand why he thought it was acceptable to touch her. She then asked a flight attendant to relocate her to another seat. It was after Alexander was detained by police officers when the plane landed in Albuquerque that he allegedly referenced Donald Trump.

"The president of the United States says it’s okay to grab women by their private parts," Alexander allegedly told authorities.

It’s unclear if those were Alexander’s exact words or the police officer’s version of his comments, but his “defense” likely refers to the leaked 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Trump was caught telling Billy Bush that he grabs women “by the p*ssy” without their consent. As of right now, Alexander remains in federal custody on charges of “abusive sexual contact.” He has a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing scheduled for today, October 23rd. If convicted, he faces a maximum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This is further proof that words matter, and that the actions of the person holding the highest position in our government can have a very real effect on our lives. And while we’re disgusted by this entire situation, we’re so glad we have the opportunity to vote on November 6th to make sure our voices—and our outrage—can be heard.

Filed Under