Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump’s older sister, dead at 86
Maryanne Trump Barry, the older sister of former President Donald Trump, died Monday morning at age 86.
She was found in her home on the Upper East Side, in Manhattan, and the cause of death is unknown at this time, the New York Times reported.
A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Her nephew, Donald Trump Jr., acknowledged her death outside of lower Manhattan court, where he was testifying Monday in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud trial against the family’s business.
“Obviously, it’s a little bit of a rough day but I still have got to deal with this stuff so you gotta keep doing it, that’s the nature of all of this,” he told reporters. “But no it’s been a rough day for myself and my family and for her grandson.”
Although a vocal supporter of her brother’s business and political ambitions, Barry last made headlines when she was secretly recorded criticizing Trump by her niece, Mary L. Trump.
Barry, a former federal judge, spent decades in the legal world before retiring in February 2019 amid an investigation over alleged tax fraud stemming from her father, Fred Trump’s, real estate empire.
The eldest of Fred’s children, Barry made a name for herself in 1974 when she became an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. She was one of only two women in the office.
In 1983, she was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
She was then tapped by President Bill Clinton to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1999.
One notable case during her tenure occurred in 2006, when she blasted a US Immigration Court judge for allegedly “bullying” an African refugee seeking asylum after several relatives were killed during a coup.
The elder Trump sibling has repeatedly voiced a need for compassion on immigration issues over the years, which put her at odds with her younger brother in a way that was made public in 2020.
While being secretly recorded by her niece, Barry blasted Trump amid news that children were being separated at the border from their parents and being held in cramped quarters, according to the Washington Post.
“All he wants to do is appeal to his base,” Barry told her niece. “He has no principles. None. None. And his base, I mean my God, if you were a religious person, you want to help people. Not do this.”
The former president appeared to brush the comments aside, as he has previously acknowledged their opposing stances on the issue.
Prior to Barry’s comments being made public, the siblings were both implicated in a New York Time’s investigation piece regarding their inheritance.
The lawyer was accused of violating judicial conduct by working with her siblings to determine their tax liability.
Barry, however, shortly retired after the investigation was launched in 2019, which put an end to the probe.
