A man who harassed a woman during a flight claimed that he did so because "the president of the United States says it is acceptable to catch sensitive areas in women," the US site of Huffington Post reported on Sunday.
The passenger, Bruce Michael Alexander, referred to a previous statement by President Donald Trump in a record of the famous "Axis Hollywood" in 2005, in which he said he had grabbed a sensitive area in a woman.
According to a suit filed on Monday, Alexander had "sexually abused" a passenger on a flight from the Texas West Airlines, Texas to New Mexico "by touching the chest without permission."
The passenger, who was sitting in the back seat, was accused of touching "at least three times", noting that she saw "a hand with thick fingers with hair and dirty nails."
The first incident occurred early in the trip when the woman - who was asleep - felt that her clothes were moving "and that a finger touched her right side around her chest."
After about 30 minutes, the woman said she felt once again that Alexander was holding her arm before he could feel the right side of her.
Passengers intervened to stop the passenger, while the airline said it was constantly reviewing and updating staff training to deal with these incidents when necessary.
Alexander was represented by a federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday. If convicted, he will face a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment and a fine of $ 250,000.
