Maryanne Trump Barry, sister of Donald Trump, dies at 86
NEW YORK CITY - Former president Donald Trump's older sister Maryanne Trump Barry has died at the age of 86.
Until she retired in 2019, Barry served as a senior judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a level below the Supreme Court.
The NYPD confirmed that officers were sent to Barry’s Manhattan home just before 4:30 a.m. and discovered a deceased 86-year-old woman. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Her death was confirmed to the Associated Press by a judicial official who spoke on condition of anonymity because Barry’s death hadn’t been announced publicly by either the court or Trump’s family.
Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before becoming a judge, Barry became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1974 and was nominated to the federal court in New Jersey by former President Ronald Reagan. She was later elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals by former President Bill Clinton. She retired in 2019 amid an investigation into her family’s tax practices.
Donald Trump, Maryanne Trump, and Robert Trump were seen during the opening of Donald Trump's Taj Mahal Casino in April 1990 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
She was often seen as a protector of the former president, though in recent years audio recordings of Barry saying Trump had "no principles" and is "cruel" were released after they were secretly made by Trump's niece, Mary Trump.
Before becoming a judge, Barry became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1974 and was nominated to the federal court in New Jersey by former President Ronald Reagan. She was later elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals by former President Bill Clinton. She retired in 2019 amid an investigation into her family’s tax practices.
The former president's younger brother, Robert Trump, died in 2020 at 71, and Trump held a service at the White House in his honor. His older brother, Fred Trump Jr., died of a heart attack at 42.
Donald Trump's ex-wife, Ivana Trump, died in 2022 at the age of 73.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.