Who is Mary Trump? Donald Trump’s niece to speak at Hay Festival
Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, is set to be part of the lineup at this year’s Hay Festival, one of the UK’s biggest literary events.
She is set to appear at the event in Wales which runs May 22 to June 1. Hay organisers have said there will be “space for everyone in this carnival of ideas” with other guests including Michael Sheen, Anton Du Beke, Billy Ocean and Paloma Faith.
The book was the first time a Trump family member had written in criticism of the president and Mr Trump had fought to block its release, stating it would violate the nondisclosure agreement he claims she has signed.
Though the publication of the book was temporarily blocked, one day before the book’s July 14 publication, Judge Hal B. Greenwald of the New York State Supreme Court lifted the block.
Mary Trump is Donald Trump’s niece. She is the second child of Linda Clapp and Donald’s older brother, Fred Trump Jr. Mary is named after her paternal grandmother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, and has one older brother, Fred III. Mary’s father Fred Jr – Donald’s brother – suffered from alcoholism and died in 1981 at the age of 42.
President Trump has been vocal about his late brother’s struggle with alcohol addiction, and has expressed regret over how he treated him.
Donald also had another brother, Robert Trump, who died in 2020 aged 71, and two sisters: Maryanne, who passed away in 2023 aged 86, and Elizabeth, who was born in 1942 and is still alive.
Donald Trump with his father Fred Trump
“I had a brother Fred – great guy, best-looking guy, best personality, much better than mine,” Donald said during a 2017 speech about the opioid crisis in America. “But he had a problem. He had a problem with alcohol. And he would tell me, ‘Don’t drink.’”
Donald has also spoken of his brother in interviews, saying Fred Jr.’s alcoholism “had a profound impact” on him and noted, “He would have been an amazing peacemaker if he didn’t have the problem, because everybody loved him. He’s like the opposite of me.”
Why is she at the Hay Festival?
Mary Trump is one of a few special guests and is expected to speak about the history of her family.
It is not thought that she has a second book on the way.
Festival chief Julie Finch said: “Woven throughout you’ll find our core themes for 2025 – the impacts of AI, health and wellbeing, new political orders and intergenerational exchanges – plus, as we celebrate 20 years since our first overseas event, we open more global exchange through new platforms.
“This is a festival for everyone. Join us in a world of different ideas.”
Did Mary and her uncle Donald get along?
According to the New York Times, when Donald Trump’s father died in 1999, Mary and her brother, Fred III, had not been included in the will.
Donald reportedly helped draft the will, which divided an estimated $20 million among his father’s children and their descendants, excluding Fred Jr.’s children.
Mary and her brother sued, noting that Donald (their uncle) and his siblings had used “undue influence” over their grandfather, who had Alzheimer’s disease, when drafting the will. In response, Donald reportedly withdrew medical benefits that he had pledged to Fred III’s infant son who had cerebral palsy.
Though Donald has since claimed the suit was settled “very amicably,” in an interview with the Daily News in 2000, Donald said, “When [Fred III] sued us, we said, ‘Why should we give him medical coverage?’”
Mary was also quoted in the interview, saying, “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 [Fred Jr.] be recognized,” she said of the lawsuit.
Donald and Melania Trump
“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,” she said, adding, “My aunt and uncles should be ashamed of themselves. I’m sure they are not.”
The book detailed that Donald “suffered emotional abuse at the hands of his father” and that Donald’s mother suffered from serious health problems that left Donald and his siblings under their father’s care from a young age.
Calling Donald’s father, Fred Trump, a “high-functioning sociopath”, Mary’s book claims, “Donald suffered deprivations that would scar him for life”.
Additionally, Mary is allegedly revealing that she was the primary source for The New York Times’ 2018 story about Donald’s “dubious tax schemes”. The Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation uncovered tax returns and financial records that propped up claims Donald was involved in “fraudulent” tax schemes. The story also alleged that Donald was not a self-made billionaire like he claimed, and that his father, Fred Trump, had given today’s equivalent of $413 million to Donald.
Has Donald Trump ever responded to her criticisms?
Donald Trump at his first campaign rally of 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Following the initial reports of Too Much Never Enough, Donald told Axios that Mary is “not allowed” to publish her book.
“She’s not allowed to write a book,” Mr Trump told the news site, adding, “She signed a nondisclosure agreement and she’s obviously not honoring it if she writes a book. It’s too bad.”
Donald also stated that he didn’t know about the book ahead of Mary’s announcement, and his younger brother, Robert Trump, has since sought to have the book blocked.
On June 30, Judge Hal B Greenwald of the New York State Supreme Court temporarily blocked the publication of the book. The ruling required Mary and her publisher to explain why they should not be stopped from publishing their book.
A hearing was initially set for July 10, but on July 1, the block was lifted by New York appellate judge Alan D Scheinkman. And one day before the book’s July 14 release date, Judge Hal B Greenwald ruled against Robert’s claims and lifted the temporary restraining order against Mary in a 20-page decision.
Judge Greenwald explained his decision, noting, “Remember, at the time the Agreement was agreed upon, the Trump family were New York-based real estate developers and not much else. They were not elected officials or TV personalities. The issues that were the subject of the Agreement were intra-family issues, not of worldwide concern, or even national interest.”
