Judge tells jurors to treat Barron Trump account of alleged attack with caution

Barron Trump, aged 19, rang UK police after allegedly seeing his friend on a video call being attacked in London

Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File.

A judge has told jurors to treat Donald Trump’s youngest son’s account of his friend’s alleged attack with caution and to consider if it may be biased or mistaken.

Barron Trump, aged 19, rang UK police after allegedly seeing his friend on a video call being attacked by Matvei Rumiantsev in London on January 18 last year, a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

The US president’s son told a City of London Police operator: “I just got a call from a girl… she’s getting beat up,” the court heard.

Prosecutors say Rumiantsev was jealous of her friendship with Mr Trump.

The 22-year-old Russian citizen who lives in Canary Wharf, east London, denies assault, actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, perverting the course of justice and two counts of rape, in charges dating between November 1 2024 and January 23 2025.

On Monday, while giving legal directions to jurors, Mr Justice Bennathan KC said: “Barron Trump has not given evidence on oath and been tested in cross-examination.

“If he had done so no doubt he could have been asked about things such as whether he ever got a good view of what happened, whether he actually saw (the complainant) being assaulted, or jumped to this conclusion on the basis of her screams.

“He might also have been asked whether his perception was biased because he was close friends with (the complainant).

“The law allows you to receive and accept hearsay evidence, but you need to be careful because it has not been given on oath and the lawyers have not been able to test, challenge or clarify it by asking questions.

“Therefore you can rely on it but you should be cautious in doing so, consider if it could be mistaken or biased by his friendship with (the complainant), and not convict the defendant mainly in reliance on it.” 

In a transcript of the call he made to the emergency services, Mr Trump said: “Oh I’m calling from the US, uh I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up,” the court heard.

Mr Trump replied to investigating police in May in an email which said “what I saw was very brief indeed but indeed prevalent”, jurors were told.

The court heard that his email added: “As per evidence, I do not have any. I was told by the victim who I am very close with that this individual was giving her difficulty for a long time.” Jurors heard that police replied to the email from Mr Trump and did not receive a response to that or to a follow-up email sent on July 1.

Prosecutor Serena Gates, in her closing argument on Monday, said that Rumiantsev was jealous of the woman’s friendship with Mr Trump, perhaps because of his “public profile”.

She told jurors to note Mr Trump’s “urgent” and “worried” tone in the call to police.

The court had heard that Rumiantsev and the woman had been drinking together on the evening of January 17 2025 and into the early hours of the next day.

Rumiantsev has said they had consensual sex twice in that time.

The prosecution say Rumiantsev raped, strangled and assaulted the woman that day, including hitting her in the face as he later beat her.

He answered her phone during the alleged beating to a FaceTime call from Mr Trump and turned the screen to the woman who was crying and screaming on the floor, the court heard.

The defendant, who at the time worked as a receptionist, is accused of one count of rape between January 17 and 18 2025 and another count between November 1 and 30 2024.

Rumiantsev, who said he has experience in freestyle wrestling, accepted that the alleged victim is a lot smaller than him but denied ever strangling, hitting or kicking her.

On Thursday, the court heard Rumiantsev became aware of the complainant’s friendship with Mr Trump in October 2024.

The defendant told the jury that on November 3 2024 he and the complainant had a disagreement.

Rumiantsev said: “I started to explain that I felt upset as well about her talking to Barron Trump.

“I was in no way controlling but I was trying to make her know that if she feels unwell seeing messages I had with girls 10 years ago, she could maybe understand how I felt when she was sat there this moment texting someone else.” On Friday, under cross-examination, Rumiantsev was asked if he was jealous of males that the woman might speak to.

He said: “What I was really unhappy about was that she was frankly leading him (Barron Trump) on.” Mr Justice Bennathan KC told Rumiantsev the trial is about whether “you attacked her or not”.

Rumiantsev responded, telling the court: “I am being portrayed as a jealous person who can lose his temper due to jealousy.

“I want to just make clear that her actions towards him was wrong and it was not fair.” He added: “I was jealous to some extent.” The trial continues.