Mary Trump Just Called Donald Trump Jr. A Coward

The House Select Committee investigating January 6 hit a new benchmark when Republican Rep. Liz Cheney read texts sent to Mark Meadows's phone. At the December 13 committee meeting, Cheney reported that Donald Trump Jr. pleaded with Meadows, the former White House Chief of Staff "again and again," per the Daily Beast. At the committee hearing, Cheney read texts from January 6 revealing that Don Jr. tried to get Meadows to urge his dad, then-President Donald Trump, to send a message to the rioters at the U.S. Capitol. Cheney also shared texts from Fox News anchors Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham to Meadows at the hearing. The Fox News stars begged Meadows to convince then-President Trump to stop the rioters.  

"He's got to condemn this s**t ASAP," the texts from the former president's son read, according to Cheney. "The Capitol Police tweet is not enough." Meadows replied, "I'm pushing it hard. I agree." Don Jr. then texted Meadows, "We need an Oval Office address. He has to lead now. It has gone too far and gotten out of hand."

Don Jr.'s texts from January 6 created a strong reaction both on social and traditional media, including from his cousin, Mary Trump.

Mary Trump said her cousin Donald Trump Jr. didn't text his dad to stop the insurrection because he was afraid. When asked b Lawrence O'Donnell in an interview on MSNBC's "The Last Word" on December 13 why Don Jr texted Mark Meadows instead of his father, Mary was blunt: "It's simply cowardice, because Donnie knew that the message he was delivering was [a] message his father did not want to hear." 

O'Donnell noted that everyone who sent text messages to Meadows, the president's chief of staff, on January 6 "all believed that it was within Donald Trump's power to stop the attack on the Capitol just by getting out there and saying something to the country."  Mary agreed with O'Donnell, adding, "What they also knew though was that even though a horrific situation had gotten out of hand, they were directly responsible for creating it, as was Donald, and he was reveling in it," she said. "The only thing that disappointed him was that it didn't work that day." Clearly, Mary does not hold back.

Mary told "The Last Word" host that Meadows may have learned new ways to avoid accountability from her uncle Donald. "I think after a while, when people [are] around Donald, they learn how to get away with things," she continued. "Mark Meadows wrote a book... that contained terrible, damning information. He's already figuring out how to squirm his way out of this one."