The Trump campaign has been on the war path for months. But all of that came to a screeching halt.
And a sudden death blindsided the entire Trump family.
Maryanne Trump Barry, former President Donald Trump’s older sister, died on Monday morning at the age of 86.
According to the New York Times, she was discovered dead at her home on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and the cause of death is unknown at this time.
A Trump representative did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
Donald Trump Jr., her nephew, acknowledged her death outside a lower Manhattan court on Monday, where he was testifying 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.”
Despite being a prominent backer of her brother’s business and political goals, Barry recently made headlines when her niece, Mary L. Trump, secretly videotaped her denouncing Trump.
Barry, a former federal judge, served for decades in the legal profession before retiring in February 2019 amid an inquiry into alleged tax fraud involving her father, Fred Trump’s, real estate empire.
Barry, the eldest of Fred’s children, rose to prominence in 1974 when she was appointed Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. She was one of just two female employees in the office.
President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in 1983.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
During her service, she publicly chastised a U.S. Immigration Court judge for allegedly “bullying” an African immigrant seeking asylum after many relatives were killed in a coup.
Over the years, the elder Trump sibling has regularly expressed a desire for compassion on immigration issues, putting her at odds with her younger brother in ways that became public in 2020.
Barry slammed Trump while being secretly videotaped by her niece amid reports that children were being separated from their parents at the border and confined 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 attempted to dismiss the remarks, despite earlier acknowledging their conflicting views on the topic.
Prior to Barry’s words being public, both siblings were named in a New York Times inquiry into their inheritance.
By collaborating with her siblings to assess their tax liability, the lawyer was accused of breaking judicial behavior.
Barry, on the other hand, retired shortly after the investigation was begun in 2019, effectively ending the investigation.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
