The Trump children tend to appear as a tight-knit crowd who support their former US president father – but other members of the family have been openly more critical.
The most high profile of the former president’s relations to criticise him is Mary Trump, a psychologist who has written a book about her uncle and shared her distaste for his decision making.
But who is she and what has she said about Trump? Here is what we know about Mary Trump.
Who is Mary Trump?
Mary is the daughter of Fred Trump Jr, Donald’s older brother.
The 55-year-old psychologist and author has been highly critical of her uncle, while also sharing on her Twitter feed that she supports LGBTQ+ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Mary lives in New York with her daughter, while also working as a psychologist at institutions such as the Manhattan Psychiatric Center. Latterly she founded life coaching company, the Trump Coaching Group, and she works as director.
She previously earned a master’s degree in English literature at Columbia University, and achieved a PhD in clinical psychology from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University.
In 2002, she published her first book, Diagnosis: Schizophrenia and last year, she made headlines with her record selling book ‘Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man’, about her world-famous uncle and former president of the US, Donald Trump.
It has since emerged that she has also sued him, following controversies over her grandfather’s will.
What is her book on Trump about?
The book, released on 16 July 2020, is described as a ‘tell all’ insight into Mary’s family.
The description by the book’s publishers, Simon & Schuster’s, says: “Mary L. Trump has the education, insight, and intimate familiarity needed to reveal what makes Donald, and the rest of her clan, tick”.
It says that Mary discusses “a nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse” in Trump’s early life and upbringing.
The author makes a shocking revelation in the book, citing herself as the primary source for the New York Times’s watershed investigation into Donald Trump’s taxes.
The announcement of the book came in June and was not supported by the rest of the Trump family.
Donald’s youngest brother, Robert, attempted to block the publishing of the book due to a non-disclosure agreement Mary had signed following her lawsuit against the family in 2001.
The case was denied on 1 July 2020 and the book was released two weeks later.
Why did she sue Trump?
When Mary lost her father, the initial heir to her grandfather’s business and wealth, the situation caused immense conflict within the family.
Her father died in 1981 from alcoholism and had refused to take over the family business as he wanted to pursue a career as a pilot.
Since his death, Mary has not been close with the Trump family and in 1999 she pursued a court case against Donald Trump – who was a multimillionaire business mogul at the time – over her and her brother’s share of their grandfather’s wealth.
She argued that Donald has pressured his father to change his will and only assign Mary and her younger brother, Fred Trump III, a small portion of the inheritance.
Mary and Fred III argued that they were entitled to a larger portion of their grandfather’s wealth, as their father had predeceased him and therefore did not receive his share of the estate and company.
The lawsuit also involved a foundation started by Fred Snr, which paid for his family’s healthcare.
Mary’s nephew has cerebral palsy which requires a significant amount of treatment. She had been told her and her brother, as well as their descendants, would not continue to benefit from the foundation.
In 2000, Donald told the New York Daily News: “When [Fred III] sued us, we said, ‘Why should we give him medical coverage?'”.
Mary told the Daily News: “Given this family, it would be utterly naive to say it has nothing to do with money. But for both me and my brother, it has much more to do with that our father be recognised.
“He existed, he lived, he was their oldest son. And William is my father’s grandson. He is as much a part of that family as anybody else. He desperately needs extra care.”
The court case was settled in 2001, and Mary did not receive a larger proportion of her grandfather’s wealth – only receiving $200,000.
Mary and Fred III did continue to have their families’ health expenses covered.
What has she said about President Trump’s impeachment?
Mary took to Twitter on 9 February to share her upset and anger at her uncle’s behaviour.
The impeachment trial of President Trump began on 8 January, and Trump is the first US leader to be impeached twice.
“I know I should be enraged, disgusted, horrified, and outraged,” she wrote. “On some level I am all of those things, but mostly right now I’m heartbroken.”
This came as the evidence from Trump’s lawyers were described by Democratic activist Jon Cooper as disastrous as “the Hindenburg disaster or the sinking of the Titanic.”
Meanwhile, the performance of Jamie Raskin, the Democratic congressman leading the trial was described by Supreme Court lawyer and former acting US solicitor general Neal Katyal
as: “vindicating the best of our Founders’ ideals,”
Katyal added: “It is exquisite lawyering. Perfect, sober, balanced.”
What will happen if Trump is found guilty of inciting violence?
For Trump to be found guilty of “incitement of insurrection” in relation to the 6 January Capitol riots, the Senate votes will need a supermajority of 61 votes in favour of guilt.
If he is found guilty, a second vote could take place to question whether he should ever be allowed to stand as a contender for US presidency in the future, which would require a 51 vote majority in order to rule him unfit to be a presidential candidate.