President Donald Trump has been accused of raping a former Miss Switzerland beauty pageant contestant at New York City’s Plaza Hotel in 1993. The allegation was presented to congressional investigators by the woman involved, although Trump has strongly denied the accusation and maintains that it is entirely false.
Beatrice Keul described the alleged sexual assault during an interview with staff working for Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, who were examining matters connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his sex trafficking activities.
A recently released report from the committee’s Democratic members outlines Keul’s allegations against Trump and Epstein. According to her account, the two men allegedly exploited the “Donald J. Trump American Dream Pageant” to approach vulnerable young women between the ages of 16 and 22. She characterized the competition as a “hunting ground” where participants could become targets of exploitation.
The congressional report states that Keul was a 24-year-old model in November 1993 when event promoter Jill Harth recruited her to participate in the beauty competition.
Keul alleged that Trump approached her during a promotional luncheon at The Plaza Hotel and offered to assist her in securing a United States visa. She also claimed he promised to use his influence to help her obtain admission to New York University.
According to Keul, Epstein subsequently introduced himself and presented similar opportunities, offering assistance while inviting her to attend a social gathering at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida.
Later that same day, Keul claimed that a representative acting on Trump’s behalf approached her with an invitation to meet the businessman privately in an upstairs hotel suite. Believing the meeting could provide valuable opportunities for her modeling career, she accepted and entered the room.
Keul alleged that Trump then approached her from behind, forcibly removed her dress and raped her, leaving bruises across her body. During her account to congressional investigators, she characterized the alleged assault as “brutal.” The accusations remain unproven, and Trump denies that the incident occurred.
Following the alleged attack, Keul claimed that Trump again offered to arrange her visa and admission to New York University, provided she remained silent about what had happened. She recalled him telling her, “[T]he show must go on.”
Keul told investigators that she completed her participation in the pageant while feeling emotionally overwhelmed and in a “daze.” She subsequently returned to Switzerland and declined an invitation to compete in another Trump-sponsored beauty pageant scheduled to take place in Hawaii several weeks later.
Several months after the alleged incident, Keul claimed that Trump contacted her by telephone and repeated his earlier offers to assist with immigration arrangements and university enrollment. She said she rejected the proposals and expressed no interest in accepting his assistance.
Responding to the accusations, a White House spokesperson issued a statement rejecting Keul’s account and criticizing the congressional report: “None of these allegations are true. This ‘report’ is nothing more than a desperate attempt by crazed Democrats to distract Americans from the surging Republican momentum driven by President Trump’s historic achievements. The President kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club at Mar-a-Lago because he was a creep, and he has been fully exonerated of anything related to Epstein.”
Trump has never been arrested or criminally charged in connection with Keul’s allegations of sexual assault. Her account, as detailed in the report released by House Judiciary Committee Democrats, has not resulted in a criminal conviction or judicial finding against him.