barron trump said heart was racing after watching friend 'being attacked in uk'

Barron Trump,19,called 999 after seeing the woman allegedly being hit by Matvei Rumiantsev (Picture: Kevin Lamarque/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shut)

A man accused of attacking a friend of Donald Trump’s youngest son out of jealousy at their relationship has told a court he was ‘upset’ at seeing messages between them.

Matvei Rumiantsev,22,is on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court accused of physically and sexually assaulting the woman,who Barron Trump described to UK police as a ‘very close’ friend.

Jurors have heard how Mr Trump phoned 999 to report seeing her ‘getting beaten up’ during a FaceTime call in the early hours of January 18 last year.

Giving evidence today,Rumiantsev told jurors the woman’s phone was ‘constantly buzzing’ that day with FaceTime calls from Mr Trump.

Rumiantsev said: ‘I could see her phone – even in the morning – constantly buzzing,and she might have shown me as well.

‘They were FaceTime calls from Barron Trump.’

His barrister Sasha Wass KC asked: ‘Did she answer any of those calls in your presence that day?’

He replied: ‘No.’

Ms Wass continued: ‘What did you feel like seeing those calls from Barron Trump?’

Rumiantsev said: ‘I can’t say I felt particularly happy,but I didn’t attach any importance to it.’

Jurors have heard that on January 18 last year,Rumiantsev answered a FaceTime call to her from the president’s son,showed Barron her face then grabbed her hair and pushed her to the floor yelling ‘You are not worth anything’.

She claims he strangled her,called her a ‘slut and a whore’ and kicked her in the stomach when she was on the floor.

Months later,she told police former MMA fighter Rumiantsev had raped her twice – once the previous November,then hours before the attack.

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Rumiantsev described the woman encouraging them to drink more as the evening progressed,suggesting they get a bottle of whisky after finishing another of Korean wine with their dinner.

He said he ‘could see that she wasn’t in a good state mentally’ and kept interrogating him about a ‘joke’ he said he had by calling her by another woman’s name that morning.

But he confirmed they had sex twice that evening and told jurors she was ‘very enthusiastic’ and had ‘initiated the intercourse’ on both occasions.

The two of them then sat down and watched the film ‘British comedy film’ Hot Fuzz staring Simon Pegg.

Matvei Rumiantsev,is on trial atSnaresbrook Crown Court this week

Ms Wass asked: ‘Before the FaceTime call with Barron Trump – in the time leading up to you answering that call – can you tell me how (the complainant) was behaving?’

Rumiantsev said: ‘Shortly before this call she reached a state of complete breakdown,to be honest.’

His barrister asked: ‘What was she doing?’

The defendant said: ‘She was quite hysterical,saying that she loved me,she hated me,she wanted to kill me.

‘She continued asking who [the other woman’s name] was,and she was just completely hysterical,crying,shouting and screaming at me.’

Rumiantsev – who said he is experienced in freestyle wrestling and previously competed at the British nationals – said the alleged victim began trying to hit him.

He said he would ‘try to get away from her’ or ‘at times grab her arms an prevent her from hitting me’.

What Barron Trump told UK police in 999 call

Operator: City of London Police how can I help you?Barron: Oh I’m calling from the US,uh I just got a call from a girl,you know,she’s getting beat up. The address is [Redacted].This was happening about eight minutes ago. I just figured out how to,how to call someone.Uh,uh,it’s really an emergency.Operator: What’s her name?Barron: Her name is [Redacted].Operator: Her date of birth?Barron: It’s really an emergency,please.Operator: How do you know her?Barron: I mean these details don’t matter,she’s getting beat up like I…Operator: Yeah I know but I need to take information from you so how have you come by this information?Barron: Uh I got a call from her with a guy beating her up.Operator: Okay how do you know her?Barron: I don’t think these details matter she’s getting beat up but okay fine,also I met her on social media,I don’t think that matters.Operator: You know I can…Barron: She’s getting beat up!Operator: Can you stop being rude and actually answer my questions. If you want to help the person,you’ll answer my questions clearly and precisely,thank you. So how do you know her?Barron: I met her on social media.Operator: OK.Operator: Know the partners name or the person that’s beating her up at all?Barron: No.Operator: And they’re at home,they’re not out into the street?Barron: Correct. She’s getting really badly beat up and the call was about 8 minutes ago,I don’t know what could have happened by now.Operator: OK.Barron: Sorry for being rude.Ms Wass asked if he ever ‘hit her on the back of the head’,‘throw her on the ground’,‘kick her in the stomach’,or ‘strangle her’,to which he replied: ‘No.’He said: ‘I was on the sofa. She was next to me,actively trying to punch me in the face and to kick me wherever she could.‘At that point I was quite fed up and while trying to avoid her punches I noticed her phone next to me on the sofa and it was ringing with Barron Trump’s FaceTime call.‘I don’t know why,or what went on in my head,but yes [I answered it].‘At that point I was standing up. I stepped away from her,maybe for a couple of metres.‘I grabbed her phone,answered the call and immediately put the camera towards her.‘I don’t know why I did that,maybe I thought she would realise that her behaviour was unreasonable,(that) she wouldn’t behave like this in front of someone else,especially Barron Trump.‘And for some reason I didn’t give it much thought,I thought maybe she may have come back to her senses as a result of me taking that call and showing her hysterical state.’

Barron Trump told police he was 'racing with adrenaline'

Jurors have heard Donald Trump’s 19-year-old son was contacted by police investigating the allegations in April 2025 after he contacted British police shortly after the video call.

Mr Trump replied to investigating police in May in an email which said: ‘Hello,what I saw was very brief indeed but indeed prevalent.

‘I didn’t expect her to pick up due to the difference in the time zone to the fact I am in the USA.

‘The phone was answered by but not by her to my dismay.

‘The individual who picked up the phone was a shirtless man with darkish hair,although I didn’t get a good look,this view lasted maybe one second and I was racing with adrenaline.

‘The camera was then flipped to the victim getting hit while crying,stating something in Russian. The guy had hung up.

‘This whole interaction had lasted five to seven seconds.

‘I made two of my friends call the Met Police in England even though they are in the United States hence why there were so many calls.’

Ms Wass asked: ‘Did her behaviour change after doing that with her phone – showing her on that call?’

Rumiantsev said: ‘Yes,her state deteriorated significantly.’

He said she ‘lunged and grabbed the phone and ended the call’.

The judge,Mr Justice Bennathan,asked: ‘Did you touch her during that call?’

Rumiantsev said: ‘No.’

Ms Wass followed up by asking: ‘Did you ever hit her at any stage during the course of that evening?’

He again replied: ‘No.’

Earlier,he told the court he first became aware of the woman’s relationship with the US president’s son in October 2024.

He said: ‘She came up to me and she asked me to take a picture of her phone on which there was a chat with Barron Trump.

‘The kind of chat they had didn’t allow her to take a screenshot,so she came up to me and asked me to take a photograph with the phone.’

Barron Trump pictured with his father President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance (Picture: Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

Rumiantsev was asked by Ms Wass about an incident on November 3,2024,when they had argued before he left having damaged her air fryer and dropped her kettle.

He told the court that after he left,he received phone calls and text messages from the woman which made him concerned for her welfare so he called the police.

Jurors have heard about bodyworn footage from after the police arrived in which she can be heard apparently telling officers ‘it was like jealousy,controlling of like who I can be friends with’.

Asked by Ms Wass whether this was about Mr Trump,Rumiantsev said that it was.

He told jurors that earlier that evening the alleged victim had brought Mr Trump up and started showing him her messages with the 19-year-old.

‘I started to explain that I felt upset as well about her talking to Barron Trump,’ he said.

‘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.’

The court heard that later that day Rumiantsev sent the alleged victim a text in Russian,translated into English which said: ‘I honestly cannot believe what a f*** up I caused.

‘This is just f****** nuts.

‘I behaved like an arsehole. I’m very ashamed that I grabbed your phone,you started calling him sweetheart,I felt so unwell.’

Asked who ‘him’ was,Rumiantsev said ‘Barron Trump’.

Rumiantsev,of Canary Wharf,east London,denies assault,actual bodily harm,two counts of rape,intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice by pressuring the woman to withdraw her complaints.

The trial continues.