Béatrice Keul alleges she survived a brutal sexual assault by Donald Trump in a New York hotel room in 1993, after being drawn into a network operated by Donald Trump and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Now 56, the Swiss citizen has come forward publicly to describe how her youthful ambitions in the international beauty pageant circuit intersected with a predatory financial and social elite.
The account, detailed in a report by Swiss broadcaster SRF, traces Keul’s trajectory back to her early twenties. In 1992, the trained bank employee won the title of runner-up Miss Switzerland, which qualified her to compete in the Miss Europe pageant. Standing 1.85 meters tall with bright blonde hair, she fit the conventional aesthetic standards of the era’s modeling industry.
“Looking good was no gift,” Keul told SRF. “That attracted the wrong people.”
Shortly after her success in Switzerland, Keul received an invitation in her mailbox to compete in the “American Dream Pageant” in New York City. The invitation bore the signature of Donald Trump, who organized the event. Drawn by a sense of adventure, the 22-year-old accepted what she believed was a unique professional opportunity.
Inside Trump and Epstein’s 1990s Pageant Circuit
During the early 1990s, Donald Trump held immense cultural and real estate influence in New York, frequently cultivating an image as a billionaire mogul despite carrying substantial debt. He expanded his footprint in the entertainment industry by acquiring the Miss Universe Organization, which encompassed the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants.
At the American Dream Pageant, Keul competed alongside roughly 60 other women. During a preliminary press event at the Plaza Hotel, Trump approached her, flirted, and stated that he would send someone to bring her to his suite for a private conversation, according to her account. “I trusted him, I was blind,” she said.
Shortly afterward, Keul was approached by Jeffrey Epstein, a multi-millionaire who would later be convicted as a sex offender. Keul stated she had never heard Epstein’s name at the time. “He wanted to take me away and promised to take care of me,” she recounted, noting that Epstein immediately aroused her suspicion because he struck her as intensely unsympathetic. She engaged with him solely because he introduced himself as “Donald’s best friend.”
A staff member working for Trump subsequently escorted Keul to a suite in the hotel, where she states the assault occurred. Decades later, Keul concluded that the pageant network operated as a hunting ground for Trump and Epstein.
The Aftermath and the Survivor Sisters Network
Keul kept the incident secret for decades. In 2024, she chose to speak publicly about the allegations for the first time, exposing herself to public scrutiny and threats, which she reported to SRF.
Donald Trump has consistently denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. No court has issued a legal ruling establishing liability regarding Keul’s specific claims. However, Trump has faced public accusations of sexual misconduct from at least 28 women.
In the years following her decision to speak out, Keul has connected with other accusers. Operating under the banner of “Survivor Sisters,” the group collaborates on advocacy efforts, pushing for legal transparency, accountability, and coordinated civil action.
Related reading
