美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Accuser Says She 'Jumped Out' Of Her Skin During Debate

Trump¹ Accuser Says She 'Jumped Out' Of Her Skin During Debate

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0008:46repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser² to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: 

We're going to hear now from Jessica Leeds. This week she told The New York Times that Trump groped her when she was sitting next to him on a plane more than 30 years ago. I spoke³ with her earlier today via Skype.

Jessica Leeds, thank you for talking with ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

JESSICA LEEDS: Thank you.

CORNISH: Now, you've described this episode as not being a short one. Your recollection is that it lasted about 15 minutes. Can you tell us how it started?

LEEDS: I was reseated into first class from the coach section on a flight into New York, and the gentleman sitting in the other seat introduced himself as Donald Trump. I introduced myself. We chatted. It was very cordial. They served a dinner.

After the dinner was cleared, he began encroaching on my side of the seat. I don't remember what happened to the armrest. It - whether it got pulled out or whether it was folded up, I don't remember. But I do know that Mr. Trump started coming over to me and groping me. And then his hands started going up my skirt.

Whether it was 15 minutes or not, it seemed like forever. But I got up at that point and took my purse and went back to the coach section.

CORNISH: While this was happening, was he saying anything to you? I mean what were you thinking when he started this?

LEEDS: No. I didn't say anything. I don't recall saying no. I don't recall saying stop. I don't recall saying anything. And he didn't say anything. It was like a silent pantomime. I remember at one point looking over at the guy in the - on the seat across the aisle⁴, and his eyes were like bugging⁵ out of his head. And the stewardess⁶ was nowhere to be found.

CORNISH: In the immediate⁷ aftermath of this incident, did you feel like you could tell anyone what had happened?

LEEDS: It never occurred to me to tell anyone. It never occurred to me to complain to the airlines. It never occurred to me to complain to my boss. It was, to be frank, not that uncommon⁸. If I had complained, my boss I think would have said, look; that's part of the job. You've got to take care of yourself there. There was no mechanism⁹ for making complaints, say, like human resources. This just wasn't done. You just accepted it.

CORNISH: At the same time you describe this as being very jarring. You described the passenger nearby you saying, you know - his eyes bugging out of his head. It sounds like this wasn't that common, that this was an egregious¹⁰ moment.

LEEDS: Well, this was an egregious moment because it was like somewhat a public space. And I just felt so exposed. And I'm a fairly tall woman. I felt that for the most part I could take care of myself physically¹¹. But he was very strong and very difficult.

So, yes, it really rattled¹² me. It rattled me enough so that I waited until everybody was off the airlines before I left. I didn't want to take the chance of running into him at all.

CORNISH: In the last year, you shared this story with your son, other family and close friends. And it's been reported in The Times that when one of your friends suggested you go to the media with this story, that you resisted. And this was many decades later, right? This was during the Republican primary. What held you back from speaking out?

LEEDS: The time - that it had been so long ago, the usual, well, it's a he said, she said situation. And there were so many stories coming out that were much more current. And I thought that that would have more impact than what I had to say.

CORNISH: What was it about those reports, about those other women's stories that triggered something in you?

LEEDS: What triggered my response was the tapes that came out on that Friday and then the debate where Anderson Cooper asked point-blank to Donald Trump had he groped or touched somebody inappropriately. I forget how he asked the question. But Mr. Trump answered no.

CORNISH: Mrs. Leeds, we have a clip of that audio and specifically this exchange between CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and Donald Trump. Here it is.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANDERSON COOPER: Just for the record though, are you saying that what you said on that bus 11 years ago - that you did not actually kiss women without consent or grope women without consent?

DONALD TRUMP: I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do.

COOPER: So for the record...

TRUMP: I said...

COOPER: ...You're saying you never did that?

TRUMP: I said things that - frankly¹³, you hear these things I said. And I was embarrassed by it. But I have tremendous respect for women.

COOPER: Have you ever done those things?

TRUMP: And women have respect for me. And I will tell you, no I have not.

CORNISH: Jessica Leeds, how did you react to that exchange when you heard it?

LEEDS: That's the exchange where I found myself on my feet yelling at the TV, saying, he's lying. Maybe he's convinced himself, but he is lying. And the next morning when I got some emails from friends who had heard the story. And they all said, oh, really, you should write up. And I was so pissed at that point that I wrote a letter to the editor of The Times. And that's how this all got started.

CORNISH: Now, Mr. Trump has responded to your story, calling it a total fabrication. He's calling the allegations against him smears¹⁴. Here he is speaking.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: Now today, the same two discredited¹⁵ writers who should have been fired from The New York Times for what they did tell another totally fabricated and false story that supposedly took place on an airplane more than 30 years ago - another ridiculous tale, no witnesses, no nothing.

CORNISH: Jessica Leeds, your response to that?

LEEDS: I recognize the fact that it was that many years ago. And it would be impossible to find the people like the guy sitting across the aisle. And it is basically I said, he said, so that's why I thought the stories, the more current stories, would have much more impact. But for some reason this has created somewhat of a firestorm.

CORNISH: You've said that you're a Hillary Clinton supporter. And what is your response to Donald Trump and his backers who don't believe you precisely¹⁶ because of the timing¹⁷ so close to Election Day?

LEEDS: It was the second debate that put the fire in my belly¹⁸ to get this story out. That's true. I am a Hillary supporter not as much as I think now I probably should be, I have not actively¹⁹ campaigned for her. I've not contributed more than five bucks²⁰ to get a button. But I'm not politically active at all.

So they're trying to see some sort of connection, and there is none. I have not talked to the - Clinton's people. They have not tried to contact me. They've been (laughter) quiet for me.

CORNISH: In the end, how do you hope that coming forward will make some kind of difference? Is this about women in the culture? Is this about the election? What is this about for you coming forward now?

LEEDS: Well, now, it would be good if we could address these sexual issues and try to improve them. But, yes, too, this election is very important. It would be very difficult to think of four years of Donald Trump presidency²¹.

CORNISH: Well, Jessica Leeds, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.

LEEDS: You're welcome.

CORNISH: That was Jessica Leeds. She's alleged²² that Donald Trump groped her more than 30 years ago after she was seated next to him on an airplane. We reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but have not heard back.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

5 bugging   

[法] 窃听

参考例句：

• Okay, then let's get the show on the road and I'll stop bugging you. 好，那么让我们开始动起来，我将不再惹你生气。 来自辞典例句
• Go fly a kite and stop bugging me. 走开，别烦我。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

6 stewardess   

n.空中小姐，女乘务员

参考例句：

• Please show your ticket to the stewardess when you board the plane.登机时请向空中小姐出示机票。
• The stewardess hurried the passengers onto the plane.空中小姐催乘客赶快登机。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

9 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

10 egregious   

adj.非常的，过分的

参考例句：

• When it comes to blatant lies,there are none more egregious than budget figures.谈到公众谎言，没有比预算数字更令人震惊的。
• What an egregious example was here!现摆着一个多么触目惊心的例子啊。

11 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

12 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

13 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

14 smears   

污迹( smear的名词复数 )； 污斑； （显微镜的）涂片； 诽谤

参考例句：

• His evidence was a blend of smears, half truths and downright lies. 他的证词里掺杂着诽谤、部份的事实和彻头彻尾的谎言。
• Anything written with a soft pencil smears easily. 用软铅笔写成的东西容易污成一片。

15 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

16 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

17 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

18 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

19 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

20 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

22 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为