In her first public statement since filing a sexual harassment suit against President Clinton last week, a defiant Paula Jones declared this week: "He needs his day in court and I need my day in court."

Ms. Jones, 27, said in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that she had no regrets about suing the president, but admitted that she sometimes fears for her life.

Asked if she was scared about taking on the world's most powerful man, the petite woman, clad in a blue jogging suit, said: "No, because I know I'm telling the truth -- I am telling the truth.

"The only thing I've been scared of is that somebody might gun me down or something or hush me up," she said in a firm voice. "But hopefully that won't be the case."

Ms. Jones also lashed out at reports that her husband, an airline ticket taker and struggling actor, had sexually harassed female co-workers -- blaming "liberal" feminists "who don't like men anyway."

In a short but wide-ranging conversation, Ms. Jones said she stands by her story that in 1991 then-Gov. Clinton summoned her to a hotel room and asked her to perform a sexual act.

She said she plans to see the suit through to the bitter end.

"All the trash will blow over, then they'll get down to business," said Ms. Jones. "He needs his day in court and I need my day in court.