Man Who Groped Woman on Plane Claims Trump Said it was OK

A man who is being accused of groping a woman on a flight told authorities that Donald Trump "says it's OK to grab" women's private parts. The incident took place on a Southwest flight from Houston to New Mexico this Sunday, according to an affidavit. The 49-year-old man, Bruce Alexander, was arrested once Flight 5421 landed. The man allegedly moved his hand behind an unnamed female and grabbed her breast after she had fallen asleep around 20 minutes into the flight. At first she assumed it was an accident, but 30 minutes later he grabbed her arm and groped around her ribs and then breast. 

After loudly telling the man to stop, she told a flight attendant who reseated the woman. 

Upon landing in Albuquerque, the man was placed in handcuffs and proclaimed "the president of the United States says it’s OK to grab women by their private parts." 

"We take protection of our customers very seriously, and safety is at the forefront of everything we do at Southwest," the airline told USA TODAY when reached for comment. "As part of this operating philosophy, Southwest flight attendants are trained in a wide range of sensitive customer issues. When aware of a potentially harmful situation – whether first-hand or reported by someone else – our flight attendants are trained to re-seat customers and notify the pilots to request law enforcement, as appropriate. We cooperate with law enforcement to protect our customers and crews."