10 Photos of Beatrice Keul: Ex-Miss Switzerland Alleges Trump's Pageant Was a 'Hunting Ground' for Young Women

Former Miss Switzerland contestant Beatrice Keul has alleged that Donald Trump raped herat New York's Plaza Hotel in 1993, while also claiming a Trump-sponsored beauty pageant was used as a 'hunting ground' for vulnerable young women and girls. Keul's account concerns an encounter during the Donald J. Trump American Dream Pageant in November 1993, when she was 24 and working as a model and financial services professional.

The allegations appear in a report released by Democratic staff on the House Judiciary Committee as part of its examination of Trump's links to Jeffrey Epstein. The White House has rejected the claims, saying they are untrue.

Trump's Pageant a 'Hunting Ground' for Young Women

Keul alleged that the Trump-sponsored competition, which involved young women aged 16 to 22, was used to target vulnerable young women and girls. She described the pageant as a 'hunting ground' in her account to congressional staff.

The report places Keul's allegations alongside broader allegations concerning Epstein's recruitment of young women, although her description of the pageant remains an allegation and has not been established as fact. Keul said she returned to Switzerland after the pageant and later declined to participate in another Trump-sponsored competition in Hawaii.

Beatrice Keul's 1993 Pageant Encounter

Keul had finished as runner-up in the 1992 Miss Switzerland competition and had also competed in Miss Europe before being invited to the Trump-sponsored pageant. According to the congressional report, Keul met Trump at a press luncheon at the Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time. She told committee staff that Trump offered to help her obtain a US visa and secure admission to New York University.

Keul also alleged that Jeffrey Epstein approached her during the event and offered similar assistance, including an invitation to a gathering at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. A Trump representative later allegedly invited Keul upstairs to meet the businessman privately. She told congressional staff that Trump allegedly raped her inside the hotel suite and described the alleged assault as 'brutal'.

According to the report, Keul alleged that Trump grabbed her from behind and raped her, tearing her dress and leaving her bleeding and bruised on several parts of her body. She said Trump subsequently repeated his offers concerning her visa and university admission and pressured her to remain silent.

Keul said she completed the pageant in a frightened 'daze' before returning to Switzerland.

Keul's New Account Differs From Her Earlier Claims

The allegation represents a significant development from Keul's first public account of the encounter. In 2024, she told the Daily Mail that Trump kissed her, tried to lift her dress and touched her without her consent during the meeting. She said she managed to stop the encounter from going further.

The newer account, detailed in the congressional report, contains a more serious allegation of rape and includes further claims about the alleged aftermath, including bleeding, bruising and pressure to remain silent. Trump has not been charged in connection with Keul's allegation.

White House Denies Beatrice Keul's Allegations

The White House has strongly rejected Keul's allegations. 'None of these allegations are true,' White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said, describing the congressional report as politically motivated and reiterating the administration's position that Trump had been exonerated in matters involving Epstein.

The allegations have not been established in court, and the report was produced by Democratic committee staff rather than representing a criminal finding against Trump. The renewed claims have nevertheless placed Keul's 1993 account back in the spotlight as congressional Democrats continue examining Trump's past association with Epstein.