"He has no principles. None." A "narcissist" and a "clown." —Trump's sister, a judge, and niece
A book published in 2000 by Donald Trump's niece, Mary L. Trump, Too Much and Never Enough,1 noted aspects of Donald's character from years of observations of family interactions. Mary L. also quoted such judgments by Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald's sister, taken from recorded conversations that she had with Maryanne. Tapes of several of these conversations were turned over to the Washington Post.2 Maryanne Trump Barry, who died in 2023, was a federal judge first appointed to that position by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
In her book, Mary L. Trump elaborated how Donald engaged in "twisted behaviors" and practiced "cheating as a way of life."3 A clinical psychologist, she said that he was "a narcissist," and had all nine clinical criteria for that assessment.4 She described Donald as a "petty, pathetic little man—ignorant, incapable, out of his depth, and lost to his own delusional spin."5
Maryanne Trump, Donald's sister, said in recorded conversations with Mary L. that Donald "had no principles. None."6 Maryanne also noted that "the only time Donald went to church was when the cameras were there."7
- Mary L. Trump, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2020).
- The Washington Post, "Donald Trump, facing financial ruin, sought control of his elderly father's estate. The family fight was epic," September 27, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/donald-trump-father-will/.
- The New York Times, "Mary Trump's Book Accuses the President of Embracing 'Cheating as a Way of Life,'" July 7, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/us/politics/mary-trump-book.html.
- Ibid.
- CNBC, "Mary Trump tell-all paints president as a 'narcissist' who is 'lost to his own delusional spin,'" July 7, 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/07/mary-trump-book-president-is-a-narcissist-and-the-son-of-a-sociopath.html.
- The New York Times, July 7, 2020, op. cit.
- Ibid.
