Donald Trump's Older Sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, Dead At 86

Maryanne Trump Barry, the eldest sister of former President Donald Trump, has died at 86 years old, per ABC. Sources revealed that emergency responders were called to her Fifth Avenue apartment in New York City in response to a cardiac arrest in the early hours of November 13. Details surrounding her death are scarce, but there was no foul play or signs of trauma tied to her passing. Officials have reached out to Trump for comments, but the former president has yet to say anything about his sisters death. 

Like her brother, Barry had been a part of the political world for years. According to CNN, she was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to serve on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. When Bill Clinton came into office, he nominated Barry to the 3rd Court of Appeals in 1999. She served on the court up until 2019, when she officially retired. Her retirement became a bit controversial after a report from the New York Times alleged that Trump and his siblings committed tax fraud to increase their inheritances. Although the investigation came to light, it was immediately closed when Barry retired and she was able to reap the benefits of an annual retirement salary and avoid any investigation regarding her and her siblings, per CNN. After retiring, Barry laid relatively low up until her recent death.

It's not unusual for older sisters to pick on their little brothers like Maryanne Trump Barry did to former President Donald Trump. Barry and Trump had a complex relationship. In 2002, the two were closer than ever after the eventual president praised his sister's position in the political world. Trump told New York Magazine, "She ultimately became a federal judge, one notch below the Supreme Court!" Trump was a proud little brother, but who knew he would become the one in the family to land the biggest political position anyone could have? As we all know, Trump was elected president in 2016. His political stance and ideologies were polarizing, and many criticized the former president, including his older sister Barry.

In 2020, tapes of Barry critiquing her little brother were released to the public, per The Washington Post. In these tapes, Barry was secretly recorded as she discussed her little brother's political career. She shared, "All he wants to do is appeal to his base. He has no principles. None. None." Not a fan of what Trump was doing, she even went as far as to insinuate he was a liar. She shared, "His [Trump's] goddamned tweet and lying, oh my God. I'm talking too freely, but you know. The change of stories. The lack of preparation. The lying. Holy s***." Barry was not a supporter of Trump's political career, and it's unclear where they stood after the tapes were released.