Trump accused of 'brutal' rape by ex-Miss Switzerland; Beatrice Keul alleges 'Don's best friend' Epstein facilitated assault in 1993

A former model and Miss Switzerland has accused US President Donald Trump of rape in a report released Monday (Oct 26) by House Democrats investigating the president's alleged ties to disgraced financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. Beatrice Keul, who before the 2024 election claimed Trump had groped her in November 1993, has now alleged the president also raped her during that same incident. The report, produced after interviews with Democratic committee staffers "over several weeks", says Keul met Trump when she was 24 at a press event for a pageant at New York's Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time.

According to the report, Trump allegedly promised to arrange a visa for her and said he could ensure she got accepted into New York University. "I will take care of you," he told her, the claims state.

The fresh rape allegations against the POTUS landed a week before the US midterm elections. Trump's handling of the Epstein files, along with inflation and rising energy prices caused by his war with Iran, have emerged as key points in the upcoming elections.

Also read | US Midterms 2026: Dead for years, paedophile Jeffrey Epstein finds mention in over 500 campaign ads; Texas alone spent $10 million

Don's best friend, Epstein

After Trump stepped away, Keul said she was approached by convicted sex trafficker Epstein, who described himself as "Don's best friend", and invited her to a party at Mar-a-Lago. "We organise many parties with Don," Epstein apparently told her.

Notably, Trump claims he ended his friendship with Epstein long before there were suspicions of criminal wrongdoing and has repeatedly described him as a "creep" whom he kicked out of his Mar-a-Lago club.

The alleged assault

The report claims a representative for Trump later invited Keul to meet the future president upstairs at the Plaza Hotel. "Upon entering, Trump reportedly grabbed Keul from behind and forcibly raped her; in the process, tearing her dress and causing bleeding and bruising on multiple parts of her body," the report claimed. “Keul described the rape as 'brutal'.”

Following the alleged assault, Keul claimed Trump "sat her on the edge of the bed, repeated his promises to arrange for a visa and NYU admission, and made her promise she would keep quiet, saying, '[T]he show must go on.'"

In her original claims in October 2024, Keul accused Trump of groping her at the Plaza Hotel in 1993 but said things did not go further. "He kissed me on the lips and on the neck. He tried to lift my dress. He was grabbing and touching my body everywhere he could," she told The Daily Mail. "I tried everything I could. Finally, I said 'let's talk first' or something like that, then he slowed down,' she said at the time.

The 6 ft 1 in ex-model suggested it was her height that "saved her" from the alleged attack escalating. The newspaper also reported that a long-time friend said Keul "first told him her story of Trump's unwanted sexual advances 20 years ago, and that her telling of the incident has not changed in the intervening years."

Also read | 100 victory claims, 200+ days of war: Is Trump's Iran gamble turning into a midterm nightmare?

White House response

The White House has denied the report's allegations. A spokesperson, as per The Telegraph, described the claims as "a desperate attempt by crazed Democrats to distract Americans from the surging Republican momentum driven by President Trump's historic achievements."

At the time of the original claims, Karoline Leavitt, then press secretary to Trump, described the allegations as "fake." In a statement to Time magazine regarding the new allegations, a spokesman said Trump had been "fully exonerated of anything related to Epstein."

Keul not the only person to accuse Trump of rape

The newly released report summarises the accounts of four other women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual assault. It also claims that Trump, Epstein and others used the pageant at the Plaza Hotel as a "'hunting ground' to prey on vulnerable young women and girls."

"Five women have directly accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein's company or presence; others have indicated that Epstein or Maxwell attempted to traffic them to Trump," Jamie Raskin, the committee's ranking member, said in a statement alongside the release of the report. "Trump's Justice Department appears to be covering up these crimes to protect the President," he added.