Late Maryanne Trump Barry Once Harshly Criticized Brother Donald Trump, Said He Has 'No Principles'

Maryanne Trump Barry, President Donald Trump's elder sister, who recently passed away at the age of 86, was once recorded delivering a blistering critique of her brother's character and presidency. Barry's candid opinions on her brother's leadership style, principles, and alleged actions were revealed in the secretly taped audio, obtained by The Washington Post in 2020.

The president's niece, Mary Trump, recorded approximately 15 hours of conversations with Maryanne Trump Barry in 2018 and 2019, according to The Washington Post. The elder Trump was forthright in her assessment of her brother, calling him a "brat," a "liar," and a man with "no principles."

Barry's criticisms ranged widely, including her disdain for Trump's immigration policies, particularly the contentious family separation at the US-Mexico border. "What they're doing with the kids at the border," Barry exclaimed, shocked and disgusted, as reported by USA Today. Barry expressed frustration with her brother's lack of principles in the audio recordings, stating that "all he wants to do is appeal to his base." She accused him of being motivated solely by political considerations rather than principles or the greater good.

The recordings also revealed Trump's alleged suggestion that his sister be sent to the border to handle immigration cases, to which Barry responded, "Well, I guess he hasn't read my immigration opinions." She also questioned Trump's reading habits, saying, "No, he doesn't read," and recalling how he was skeptical that she read books instead of watching Fox News.

The recordings capture a candid conversation between Mary Trump and her aunt, with Barry discussing President Ronald Reagan's nomination of her to the federal bench, per CBS News. She recalled her brother's claims that he helped secure her nomination, a point of contention that appeared to exacerbate family tensions.

"You can't trust him," Barry said of Trump emphasizing that the only accomplishments Trump achieved on his own were his multiple bankruptcies. Perhaps one of the most explosive claims in the recordings is Barry's apparent confirmation of allegations made by Mary Trump in her tell-all book. Barry suggested that her brother had someone take his SAT exams for him, a claim that has circulated in the public domain and was notably highlighted in Mary Trump's book.

As per CNN, Barry stated, "He went to Fordham for one year [actually two years] and then he got into the University of Pennsylvania because he had somebody take the exams. SATs or whatever. . . . That’s what I believe."

The White House reacted quickly to the release of the tapes, with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows dismissing them as "politics as usual." Meadows claimed Mary Trump had an "axe to grind" because she supported Democratic nominee Joe Biden and "was written out of a will." On CNN's State of the Union, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Maryanne Trump Barry's views "heartbreaking" and evidence of the president's "inauthenticity and lack of integrity."