Trump faces 28 sexual misconduct claims: Who is Beatrice Keul, who alleges ex-US president groped her?

Yet another woman has stepped forward to accuse Donald Trump of groping her, bringing the number of sexual misconduct allegations against the former US president to 28.

Beatrice Keul, a former Swiss beauty queen, claims that Trump “jumped” on her and attempted to grope her at the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1993 after inviting her to the iconic location.

Keul, now 53, says she decided to speak up after finding travel documents for her trip from Zurich, Switzerland, while packing to move.

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Who is Beatrice Keul and how did she meet Trump?

In 1992, Keul just won the second position in the Miss Switzerland competition and advanced to the Miss Europe finals in Istanbul. Her achievement allegedly caught Trump’s attention, and he invited her to his American Dream Pageant with an all-expenses-paid trip to New York and Atlantic City.

Keul, then a Swiss bank executive and part-time model, was thrilled by the invitation, telling the Daily Mail, “When you are from Switzerland, the US is a big wow. Then, you think about New York. That’s a second wow. And then comes the name Trump. Wow again.”

Her account resembles claims made by other women over the years, including writer E Jean Carroll, who was awarded over $88 million in damages after Trump accused her of lying about an alleged assault in a Bergdorf Goodman changing room.

What happened?

In November 1993, Beatrice Keul, now a divorcee with a teenage son, flew from Zurich to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to attend Donald Trump’s American Dream Pageant.

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After a few days of events at Trump’s Castle Casino, the 50-odd contestants were taken to the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Keul recalls Trump, then 47, showing particular interest in her, greeting her with, “Ah, we finally meet, Miss Keul. How nice to meet you finally,” though he mispronounced her name as “Cool.”

She said that they spoke for 10 to 15 minutes while others stared at them.

Now living in Bern, Switzerland, Keul told Daily Mail that after a press luncheon, a Trump staffer came up to her to arrange a private meeting with him. She was escorted to one of the hotel’s upper suites, expecting a conversation. However, she says Trump “jumped” on her as soon as she entered.

“When I entered, he jumped on me. I just had time to turn. I was not prepared. I tried to do what I could to get rid of him,” she told the newspaper.

Keul described Trump groping her while she repeatedly told him to stop and tried to push him away. “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 said, “I’m very tall, that’s what helped me a lot. I’m 185cm [6'1’] with a good 5-7cm shoes [2-3’]. I think my size saved me.”

She then tried to divert his attention by saying, “Let’s talk first,” after which he slowed down and eventually held her hand, kissed her, and offered her a drink.

They spoke for half an hour and Trump even asked her if she wanted to stay in the US. He also offered to help her secure a placement at New York University and asked to meet again.

“He asked me to agree to see him again. I said yes, because I didn’t want trouble. He asked me if I’m mad, I said no. I had to find something diplomatic,” she said.

Keul said that because beauty pageants were a hobby and she had her own career, she felt she could resist his advances more easily. “It’s sad for those who don’t know to say no or don’t have the courage or opportunity to say no,” she added.

These allegations have come just days after former Sports Illustrated model Stacey Williams alleged she met Trump through her then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein in early 1993 at Trump Tower.

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Stacey Williams’ allegations

Williams has accused Trump of groping her in Epstein’s presence, recalling that he “had his arms around me and pulled me into him” before he began “rubbing his hands up and down my body.”

She said, “He touched my breasts. He touched my waist. He touched my butt.”

“And while his hands are on me, he’s continuing to have a conversation with Jeffrey who is, you know, standing across from us. And I just froze. I was so confused.”

Other allegations against Trump

Among the most notorious accusations is that of Jill Harth, who helped run Trump’s American Dream pageant. In a 1997 lawsuit, she alleged Trump sexually assaulted her under a table at a nightclub in 1992, as her husband took their photo.

She further claimed he later forced himself on her in his daughter Ivanka’s bedroom at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate.

Former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos also accused Trump of assaulting her after she accepted an invitation to discuss business at The Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007.

In a separate allegation, Trump campaign worker Alva Johnson claimed he forcibly kissed her at a rally in Florida in 2016.

According to a detailed report by The Guardian, other women who have accused Trump include former pageant contestants Cassandra Searles (Miss USA 2013), Ninni Laaksonen (former Miss Finland), Samantha Holvey (Miss USA 2006), and Tasha Dixon (former Miss Arizona). Journalist Natasha Stoynoff, former Apprentice contestant Jennifer Murphy, model Amy Dorris, and former Miss New Hampshire Bridget Sullivan have also come forward. Rachel Crooks, Jessica Drake, Melinda McGillivray, Karen Johnson, Karena Virginia, Cathy Heller, Temple Taggart (former Miss Utah), Mariah Billado (former Miss Vermont Teen USA), Lisa Boyne, E. Jean Carroll, Kristin Anderson, and Jessica Leeds have made accusations as well. Trump’s first wife, Ivana Trump, also alleged misconduct during their marriage.