Donald Trump’s sister Maryanne Trump Barry found dead at her New York apartment, aged 86

She was found in her home on the Upper East Side, in Manhattan, with the cause of death is unknown at this time, the New York Times reported.

A representative for Mr Trump did not immediately respond to The New York Post’s request for comment.

Although a vocal supporter of her brother’s business and political ambitions, Ms Barry last made headlines when she was secretly recorded criticising Mr Trump by her niece, Mary Trump.

Ms Barry, a former federal judge, spent decades in the legal world before retiring in February 2019 amid an investigation over alleged tax fraud stemming from her father, Fred Trump’s, real estate empire.

The eldest of Fred’s children, Ms Barry made a name for herself in 1974 when she became an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. She was one of only two women in the office.

In 1983, she was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

She was then tapped by President Bill Clinton to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1999.

One notable case during her tenure occurred in 2006, when she blasted a US Immigration Court judge for allegedly “bullying” an African refugee seeking asylum after several relatives were killed during a coup.

‘No principles’: Sister Blasts Trump

The elder Trump sibling has repeatedly voiced a need for compassion on immigration issues over the years, which put her at odds with her younger brother in a way that was made public in 2020.

While being secretly recorded by her niece, Ms Barry blasted Mr Trump amid news that children were being separated at the border from their parents and being held in cramped quarters, according to the Washington Post.

“All he wants to do is appeal to his base,” Ms Barry told her niece. “He has no principles. None. None. And his base, I mean my God, if you were a religious person, you want to help people. Not do this”.

The former president appeared to brush the comments aside, as he has previously acknowledged their opposing stances on the issue.

Prior to Ms Barry’s comments being made public, the siblings were both implicated in a New York Times investigation piece regarding their inheritance.

The lawyer was accused of violating judicial conduct by working with her siblings to determine their tax liability.

Ms Barry, however, shortly retired after the investigation was launched in 2019, which put an end to the probe.

This article was published in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission.