Former President Trump on Tuesday honored his late sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, while also bemoaning her treatment by "The Fake News, and others," who, he said, "went after her mercilessly" for years. "A truly beautiful woman, tall and elegant, with a presence like no other, she was also a tremendous student, intellect, and judge, in charge of the United States court of appeals for the third circuit, just below the US supreme court," Trump wrote of the 86-year-old on Truth Social, per the Guardian. "Her life was largely problem-free, PERFECT, until I made it difficult for her when I decided to run for president."
That's when the "merciless" treatment began, Trump wrote, and "because of the fact that she felt it inappropriate, due to her position, to defend herself, it just never stopped! While tough and strong, she was made to suffer in those years from 2016 until her retirement." That retirement came in 2019, amid allegations that she was involved in a Trump family tax-dodging scheme. Despite Trump's warm remembrance of his sister, sources tell People that the siblings' relationship had grown significantly distant since Trump's niece released recordings of Barry criticizing her brother, which upset Trump. As for Barry, one of the sources says, "Maryanne loved her brother but basically gave up on him." (More Maryanne Trump Barry stories.)