'I will take care of you': Former Miss Switzerland accuses Trump of rape in Epstein probe report

US President Donald Trump has been accused of rape by Beatrice Keul, a model and former Miss Switzerland, in a report released by Democratic lawmakers detailing an investigation into his alleged links to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

The Telegraph reported that Keul, who accused Trump of groping her in November 1993 shortly before the 2024 presidential election, has now alleged that he also raped her during the same incident.

The report, released on Monday, outlines an investigation by Democrats on the US House of Representatives committee into Trump’s alleged connections to Epstein’s crimes.

The White House denied the allegations, with a spokesperson describing the report as “a desperate attempt by crazed Democrats to distract Americans from the surging Republican momentum driven by President Trump’s historic achievements”.

During interviews with Democratic committee staff over several weeks, Keul said she 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 help secure her admission to New York University (NYU). “I will take care of you,” he reportedly told her.

After Trump left their conversation, Keul said she was approached by 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 reportedly told her.

Trump has said he ended his friendship with Epstein long before any suspicions of criminal wrongdoing emerged. He has repeatedly described Epstein as a “creep” whom he expelled from his Mar-a-Lago club.

According to the Democrats’ report, a representative for Trump later invited Keul to meet him 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 alleged.

“Keul described the rape as ‘brutal,’” it added.

Following the alleged assault, Keul said Trump sat her on the edge of the bed, repeated his promises to arrange a visa and admission to NYU, and made her promise to remain silent, telling her, “The show must go on.”

In her initial allegations in October 2024, Keul accused Trump of groping her at the Plaza Hotel in 1993.

“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.

She said the encounter did not go further after she tried to stop him.

“I tried everything I could. Finally, I said ‘let’s talk first’ or something like that, then he slowed down,” she said.

The 6ft 1in former model suggested that her height had helped prevent the alleged assault from escalating.

The newspaper also reported that a longtime friend said Keul had first told him about Trump’s alleged unwanted sexual advances 20 years ago and that her account had remained consistent since then.

Allegations dismissed as ‘fake’

At the time of Keul’s initial allegations, Karoline Leavitt, then Trump’s press secretary, described them as “fake”.

A White House spokesperson said Trump had been “fully exonerated of anything related to Epstein”.

“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 spokesperson said.

The newly released report also summarises the accounts of four other women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual assault.

It alleges 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 accompanying the report’s release.

“Trump’s Justice Department appears to be covering up these crimes to protect the President,” he added.

The report was released a week before the US midterm elections. Trump’s handling of the Epstein files, along with inflation and rising energy prices linked to his war with Iran, has created challenges for Republican candidates, even though the president himself is not on the ballot.