Former model and Miss Switzerland contestant Beatrice Keul has accused US President Donald Trump of raping her at New York’s Plaza Hotel in 1993. The allegation emerged in a report released on Monday by Democratic members of the US House of Representatives, which examines Trump’s reported connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations concerning Trump’s possible links to Epstein’s crimes.
The report, cited by British newspaper The Telegraph, includes details of Keul’s account, which goes beyond the sexual harassment allegations she made publicly in 2024. The White House has rejected the allegations, describing them as politically motivated attacks against the president.
According to the report, Keul told Democratic committee staff during interviews conducted over several weeks that she was 24 when she first met Trump at a press conference connected with a beauty pageant at the Plaza Hotel in November 1993. Trump owned the hotel at the time.
Keul alleged that Trump offered to help arrange a visa for her and assist with securing admission to New York University (NYU). According to the report, he told her, “I will take care of you.”
She claimed that, shortly after her conversation with Trump ended, Epstein approached her and introduced himself as one of Trump’s closest friends. Epstein allegedly invited her to a party at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate, telling her that he and Trump frequently organised parties together.
Trump has maintained that his friendship with Epstein ended well before the financier’s criminal activities became widely known. He has repeatedly described Epstein as a deeply disturbed individual and claimed that he had expelled him from Mar-a-Lago.
Alleged assault at the Plaza Hotel
According to the Democrats’ report, a representative of Trump later invited Keul to meet him on an upper floor of the Plaza Hotel. Keul alleged that, after she entered the room, Trump grabbed her from behind and raped her.
The report states that she described the alleged assault as brutal, claiming that her clothing was torn and that she suffered bleeding and bruising in several parts of her body.
Keul further alleged that, after the incident, Trump sat her on the edge of a bed and again promised to help her obtain a visa and secure admission to NYU. She also claimed that he asked her to keep the incident secret.
The report attributes the following statement to Trump in Keul’s account: “Whatever happens, everything must continue as before.”
The allegations remain disputed, and the account presented in the report does not, by itself, establish that the alleged assault occurred. The White House has denied the claims.
Keul’s earlier account in 2024
In October 2024, Keul spoke to the Daily Mail about what she described at the time as sexual harassment by Trump at the Plaza Hotel in 1993.
She alleged that Trump kissed her on the lips and neck, attempted to lift her clothing and touched her body inappropriately. However, her earlier account indicated that the encounter did not progress beyond those alleged acts.
“I tried my best,” she reportedly said, recalling that she had attempted to redirect the situation by suggesting that they talk first. She claimed that Trump subsequently calmed down.
Keul, who is six feet one inch tall, said she believed her physical stature had helped her resist the alleged advances and prevented the encounter from becoming more serious.
The Daily Mail also reported at the time that a longtime friend of Keul had said she first confided in them about Trump’s alleged unwanted sexual behaviour around 20 years earlier. According to the friend, her account had remained consistent over the years.
Following Keul’s allegations in 2024, Trump’s then press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, dismissed them as false. The White House has continued to reject the accusations.
A White House spokesperson said Trump had been completely exonerated in relation to matters connected with Epstein. The spokesperson also characterised the latest report as a desperate attempt by Democrats to distract Americans from what the administration considers the president’s achievements and growing Republican support.
Report includes allegations from four other women
The newly released report also summarises accounts from four other women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual abuse. It further alleges that Trump, Epstein and others used beauty pageants held at the Plaza Hotel as opportunities to target vulnerable young women and teenage girls.
These are allegations presented in the Democratic report, rather than findings that establish criminal responsibility. The claims require assessment against the available evidence, and the White House has rejected the accusations against Trump.
In a statement accompanying the report, Jamie Raskin, a senior Democratic member of the House committee, said five women had directly alleged that Trump raped or sexually assaulted them while Epstein was present or in circumstances involving him. Other women, he said, had reported that Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell attempted to traffic them to Trump.
Raskin also alleged that the Justice Department under Trump appeared to be attempting to conceal crimes to protect the president. That assertion represents the Democratic lawmaker’s position and has not been established as an independent finding in the material described.
Epstein, a financier with connections to numerous prominent figures, was accused of sexually exploiting underage girls and trafficking them. He died in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and related offences involving the sexual abuse of minors. Her case drew renewed attention to the network of individuals surrounding Epstein and questions about whether his victims had been adequately protected.
However, association with Epstein does not, in itself, establish involvement in his crimes. Allegations against any individual must be evaluated on their own evidence.
Allegations emerge amid mounting political pressure
The report was released about a week before the US midterm elections, according to the account. Although Trump is not personally standing for election in the midterms, the results could significantly affect his administration’s ability to advance its legislative agenda.
The controversy surrounding the handling of Epstein-related records has become another source of political pressure for the president and Republican candidates. Concerns over inflation and rising energy costs, linked in the source report to the conflict involving Iran, have also added to the challenges facing the Republican Party.
The latest allegations are therefore likely to intensify scrutiny of Trump’s past associations and the administration’s handling of Epstein-related matters. For Democrats, the report provides a platform to demand further accountability; for the White House, the allegations form part of what it describes as a politically driven campaign against the president.
The central question, however, remains whether the allegations can be substantiated through reliable evidence and an appropriate investigative process. Until that is established, the claims against Trump should be treated as allegations rather than proven facts.
