Maryanne Trump Barry, the older sister of former President Donald Trump, died Monday at the age of 86, the New York City Police Department has confirmed.
Barry was a former federal appellate judge who retired in April 2019, according to the New York Times. The newspaper, citing people familiar with the matter, reports that she passed away at her home in New York City’s Manhattan borough, with one person saying she was found this morning.
In 2016, Trump referred to his sister as a “highly respected judge” despite the fact that they differed on issues of public policy.
Four years later, Trump dismissed the secret audio recordings of Barry by saying that he was “cruel” and had “no principle.”
“Every day it’s something else, who cares?” Trump made the statement according to Washington Post.
The Post’s article about the recordings was published one day after a private memorial for Robert Trump, President Trump’s younger sibling, who passed away on August 15, 2020, at the age of 71.
Mary Trump, Trump’s niece who wrote a telling book about the president and his family, made the recordings.
Barry’s niece secretly recorded a conversation with Barry in which she told her that Donald was cruel.
“He wants only to appeal to his base.” He has no principle. None. None. His base, I’m sorry, my God, you would want to help the people if you were religious. She allegedly said “Don’t do this” in the recording released by the Post. She was referring to Trump’s administration’s zero-tolerance at the U.S.-Mexico border, which led to parents and children being separated during immigration court hearings. Later, the policy was rescinded.
The New York Times reported that during her legal career, Barry was a federal prosecutor, before she was nominated to serve on the Federal District Court of New Jersey by Ronald Reagan, then president.
The newspaper reported that in 1999, Bill Clinton, then President of the United States, appointed her to serve on the United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.
According to The New York Times, Barry told the court that she would no longer hear cases shortly after Trump became president in 2017.
