Nephew says Trump told him some disabled people 'should just die'

Donald Trump’s nephew wrote in an upcoming memoir that his uncle told him severely disabled people – including his nephew’s son – "should just die." 

In an excerpt published on Time’s website, Fred Trump III accuses Donald Trump of making the comment on more than one occasion – once at the White House after a meeting on disability policy and once on the phone when Fred and Donald Trump were discussing his disabled son’s medical needs. 

U.S. Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in North Carolina in July 2024. His nephew now accuses Trump of saying disabled people should just die (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The memoir, "All in the Family: The Trumps and How We Got This Way," is set for release on July 30. 

In the book, Fred details how his son William, now 25, was diagnosed with infantile spasms, a rare seizure disorder that causes physical and cognitive disabilities, when he was just 3 months old. 

When William was 9 years old, Donald Trump and his siblings set up a fund for William’s medical care. 

"It was enormously helpful with our home-care costs and medical expenses, and we were always grateful to my father’s siblings for contributing," Fred Trump III wrote. 

After Donald Trump took office in 2017, Fred Trump III asked to meet with his administration to "make a difference" for families like his, he says. 

"There are so many different demands and challenges," he wrote. "But there are things that the government can do—some things that can only be done by the government, both federal and state."

Fred Trump III reached out to his cousin, Ivanka Trump, and first met with Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development. Eventually, in 2020, Fred Trump III and other disability advocates secured a meeting at the White House with Donald Trump and Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services. 

Fred said his uncle seemed engaged and supportive of their cause throughout the meeting, but things changed when Donald Trump called him back into the Oval Office. 

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That’s when the president reportedly told his nephew the following: 

"Those people …" he said, trailing off. "The shape they’re in, all the expenses, maybe those kinds of people should just die." 

Fred Trump III said he didn’t know what to say, so he turned and walked out of the room. 

Later the same year, William’s medical fund was running low and Donald Trump was the only one of the siblings still regularly contributing to it. Fred Trump’s cousin Eric suggested he call Donald Trump to discuss. 

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When he did, the president repeated the same shocking comments he made in the Oval Office, according to Fred Trump III. From the book: 

Donald took a second as if he was thinking about the whole situation.

"I don’t know," he finally said, letting out a sigh. "He doesn’t recognize you. Maybe you should just let him die and move down to Florida."

"No, Donald," I said. "He does recognize me."

Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, called Fred Trump’s story "completely fabricated and total fake news of the highest order," according to The New York Times. 

Who is Fred Trump III? 

Fred Trump III is the son of Fred Trump Jr., Donald’s older brother. His sister is Mary Trump, an outspoken critic of Donald Trump who wrote her own memoir in 2020, "Too Much and Never Enough." 

Fred Trump Jr. struggled with alcoholism and died of a heart attack at 42 years old.

When Mary Trump released her 2020 memoir and offered damning details of Donald Trump’s family history, her brother Fred distanced himself publicly. 

"My wife, children and I have a strong relationship with our extended family and have had no involvement or interest in the preparation of this book," he said in a statement at the time. 

He has since changed his tune. Fred Trump III’s publisher told The New York Times he stayed quiet as long as he could. 

"Silence is golden only when there is nothing that needs to be said," he writes in his upcoming book.