Most people know who Donald Trump is, but a lot have never even heard of his older sister, Maryanne Trump Barry. She passed away in November 2023 at the age of 86, and her relationship with Donald? Let’s just say… it wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy. You’d never guess that if you saw an old interview where Trump praised her legal career, bragging, “She became a federal judge—just one step below the Supreme Court!”
But then came the bombshell: secret recordings that spilled some very unflattering things Maryanne said about her brother. The kind of stuff that’s hard to come back from.
Trump Didn’t Exactly Rush to Mourn Her
You’d think Donald would publicly acknowledge his sister’s death right away, but nope—he didn’t say a word for an entire day. Instead, he was online talking about his new book and attacking NY Attorney General Letitia James. When he did finally mention Maryanne, it was a sentimental message on Truth Social, calling her “a beautiful woman, tall and elegant.” It was touching… until he turned the spotlight back on himself, saying her life had been calm until he ran for president. Classic Trump move.
Notably missing? Any mention of the now-infamous recordings where she trashed him—hard.
Leaked Tapes Expose a Brutal Family Rift
Back in 2020, Mary Trump—Donald and Maryanne’s niece—shared about 15 hours of secretly recorded convos between her and Maryanne. Those tapes were given to the Washington Post, and yeah, they caused a major stir.
Turns out, Maryanne had some pretty brutal thoughts about her brother. She slammed his policies, called him fake, and said he only pandered to his political base. On immigration, she told Mary, “He has no principles. None. And his base—my God. If you’re religious, you help people. You don’t do this.”
She also criticized his tweeting, his dishonesty, and just… the general way he handled himself. And she had no idea these conversations would ever be made public.
They Weren’t Always on Bad Terms
Here’s the twist—Maryanne actually used to be one of Donald’s biggest supporters. She once told New York Magazine that when she was in the hospital for surgery, he visited her every day. “His love went the extra yard,” she said.
She also openly admitted he played a big part in helping her land a spot on the federal bench, saying, “There’s no question Donald helped me. I was good, but not that good.”
Then She Tore His Character to Shreds
Despite once being close, those recordings revealed just how far things had fallen between them. She didn’t hold back at all. Maryanne said Trump was a “brat,” claimed she used to do his homework, and doubted he even took his own SATs—suggesting someone else might’ve done it for him. She said he never read, was cruel to people, and only really succeeded at failing big businesses.
She even said that after their father died, a fight over the will caused them to stop speaking for two years. When they finally saw each other again at the funeral in 1999, Donald apparently made it all about himself. No surprise there.
Sources told People that Donald was absolutely livid over the tapes. One insider even said he was “furious” and took the betrayal very personally—again, not shocking given his reputation for having very thin skin.
She Dragged Ivanka Too—and Eric Didn’t Get Off Easy Either
Maryanne didn’t just have strong words for Donald. During a convo with Mary Trump around the time of the child separation crisis at the border, she went off about Ivanka too. Ivanka had posted a photo of her hugging her son with the caption, “My ❤️ #SundayMorning,” which many saw as incredibly tone-deaf.
Maryanne called her “Madonna and child” and sarcastically pointed out how out-of-touch it was, saying it happened the same day kids were being torn from their parents. She also called Ivanka “mini-Donald,” saying the two had an obvious favorite-child bond.
And Eric? Well, Maryanne flat-out called him “the moron of the family.” Yikes.
Maryanne Had Her Own Scandals, Too
Let’s not forget—Maryanne wasn’t exactly squeaky clean herself. According to The New York Times, she resigned from her federal judge position in 2019 just as an investigation into alleged tax fraud was heating up.
The report alleged that she and other Trump family members cooked up schemes to dodge inheritance taxes after their father, Fred Trump, passed. Her resignation ended the inquiry, but critics weren’t happy she avoided any real consequences. One attorney even filed a complaint and said, “We’re still paying this woman a federal pension. That’s outrageous.”
She Eventually Gave Up on Donald for Good
By the time Maryanne passed, it seemed like she’d written her brother off for good. The recordings—part of the evidence used in a lawsuit over Mary Trump’s inheritance—painted a picture of a sister who’d lost all faith in her brother. According to one source who spoke with People, she believed Donald was a “ruthless, selfish man” and didn’t trust him at all.
Still, despite everything, Maryanne never went public with her criticisms. She didn’t bash him in interviews or speak out in the media. Maybe out of loyalty. Maybe just to avoid more drama.
But thanks to those recordings, we know what she really thought. And it wasn’t pretty.