President Donald Trump is facing renewed allegations of sexual assault after a former Miss Switzerland contestant accused him of raping her at a New York hotel more than three decades ago.
Beatrice Keul, a former model and beauty pageant contestant, made the allegations in an account detailed in a report released by Democratic members of the US House Judiciary Committee on October 26, 2026.
The report examines allegations concerning Trump's past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and includes accounts from several women.
Keul claims she was assaulted during a beauty pageant event in November 1993, when she was 24 years old.
The White House has strongly rejected the allegations, which have not been established in court.
What did Donald Trump say in response to the allegations?
The White House categorically denied Beatrice Keul's allegations and accused Democrats of using the report for political purposes ahead of the November midterm elections.
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told media outlets that the allegations were untrue.
In a statement reported by TMZ and other publications, Bis described the report as an attempt by Democrats to distract Americans from the president's achievements.
The spokesperson also said Trump had removed Jeffrey Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club because of concerns about his behaviour.
She further asserted that the president had been fully exonerated of matters relating to Epstein.
That assertion represents the White House's position and should not be confused with a judicial determination concerning every allegation included in the report.
Trump has not been arrested or criminally charged in connection with Keul's allegations.
What has Beatrice Keul accused Trump of doing?
According to the report released by House Judiciary Committee Democrats, Keul alleges that Trump raped her inside a suite at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in November 1993.
At the time, Trump owned the hotel and was involved in organising the Donald J. Trump American Dream Pageant.
Keul told congressional staff that she had travelled from Switzerland to participate in the competition.
She claims Trump approached her during a luncheon associated with the event and discussed opportunities that could help her establish a career in the United States.
According to her account, he offered assistance with obtaining an American visa and gaining admission to New York University.
Later that day, she says a representative invited her to meet Trump privately in a hotel suite.
Keul alleges that she accepted because she believed the meeting concerned potential career opportunities.
However, she told congressional staff that Trump sexually assaulted her after she entered the room.
She described the alleged attack as violent and said it left her with physical injuries.
These remain allegations, and the White House denies that the encounter occurred as described.
What did Keul say happened after the alleged assault?
Keul alleges that Trump again offered to help her obtain a visa and university admission following the encounter.
According to the Democratic staff report, she understood his remarks as an instruction to remain silent about what she says had happened.
She claims she continued participating in the pageant despite feeling distressed.
Afterwards, she returned to Switzerland and declined an invitation to attend another Trump-sponsored competition in Hawaii.
Keul also alleges that Trump contacted her several months later and renewed his offers of assistance.
She says she rejected them.
The report recounts her statements to congressional staff, but its publication does not independently establish that the alleged events occurred.
How was Jeffrey Epstein allegedly involved?
Keul's account also describes an encounter with Jeffrey Epstein during the same pageant event.
According to the report, Epstein approached her after her initial conversation with Trump.
She claims Epstein introduced himself as a close friend of Trump's and discussed opportunities to attend social gatherings in the United States.
Keul alleges that he invited her to a party at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and offered to help with travel arrangements.
She also expressed concerns about how young women were approached during events associated with the pageant.
The Democratic staff report examines these claims as part of a wider investigation into allegations involving Trump's past association with Epstein.
However, being photographed or associated with Epstein does not, by itself, establish participation in his criminal activities.
Epstein died in federal custody in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Why have the allegations resurfaced in 2026?
The allegations have received renewed attention following the publication of a report by Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee.
The report was released on October 26, 2026, shortly before the November 3 midterm elections.
It examines accounts from women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct and raises questions about his historical association with Epstein.
Democrats on the committee have called for further investigation into the allegations.
The report is a Democratic staff document rather than a bipartisan finding establishing criminal wrongdoing.
Its publication has prompted fresh media coverage and a forceful response from the White House.
Had Beatrice Keul made allegations before?
Keul previously spoke publicly about an alleged encounter with Trump in October 2024.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, she accused him of unwanted kissing and touching during the 1993 event.
Her earlier account described resisting his advances, while the 2026 Democratic staff report contains a more serious allegation of rape.
The distinction between those accounts has been noted in subsequent reporting.
The report does not establish why the descriptions differ, and the difference alone does not determine whether either account is accurate.
Trump's representatives denied the earlier allegations in 2024.
His administration has also rejected the claims included in the latest report.
Has Donald Trump been charged over Keul's allegations?
No. Trump has not been arrested or criminally charged in connection with the allegations made by Beatrice Keul.
The publication of a congressional staff report does not constitute a criminal charge, conviction or judicial finding.
Keul's claims have not been established in court, and the White House maintains that they are false.
Separately, Trump has previously faced civil litigation involving allegations of sexual misconduct.
In 2023, a New York civil jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll in a separate case.
That verdict concerned different allegations and does not establish the truth of Keul's claims.
What happens next?
It remains unclear whether Keul's allegations will lead to any new legal proceedings or formal investigation.
Democrats have called for additional scrutiny of allegations involving Trump and Epstein, while the White House continues to reject the claims.
For now, the allegations remain disputed.
The latest report has brought renewed attention to an alleged encounter dating back to 1993, but no court has determined that Trump committed the acts Keul describes.
The central developments are the publication of Keul's account, the calls for further investigation and the administration's categorical denial.
Sources: House Judiciary Committee Democrats' report, October 26, 2026; TIME, October 26, 2026; The Independent, October 27, 2026; People and TMZ reporting on the White House response.
