Mary Lea Trump (born May 3, 1965) is an American psychologist and writer. A member of the

Trump family The Trump family is the prominent wealthy family of US president Donald Trump. The family is of Bavarians, Bavarian Germans, German and Scottish people, Scottish descent. They are active in business, entertainment, politics, and real estate. ...

, she has been critical of her uncle, U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. Her 2020 book about him and the family, ''

Too Much and Never Enough ''Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man'' is a tell-all book written by American psychologist Mary L. Trump about her uncle, President Donald Trump, and his family. It was published by Simon & Schuste ...

'', sold nearly one million copies on the day of its release. Two further books followed, '' The Reckoning'' (2021) and ''Who Could Ever Love You'' (2024). In September 2020, Mary Trump sued her uncle Donald, aunt Maryanne and the estate of her late uncle,

Robert Trump Robert Stewart Trump (August 26, 1948 – August 15, 2020) was an American businessman and investor. He was the younger brother of U.S. president Donald Trump, and was a loyal supporter of Donald's political career. Trump served on the board ...

, claiming that they

defraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

ed her of tens of millions of dollars from her interests in her grandfather

Fred Trump Frederick Christ Trump Sr. (October 11, 1905 – June 25, 1999) was an American real-estate developer and businessman. He was the father of the 45th and 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump. Born in the Bronx in New York City to Germans, German ...

's real-estate portfolio. The lawsuit was dismissed in November 2022. Donald Trump sued Ms. Trump for at least $100 million in September 2021 for providing ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' with financial documents which it used as a source for a 2018 exposé about his wealth and her family's finances.

Early life and education

Mary Trump was born in May 1965 to

flight attendant A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew whose primary responsibility is ensure the safety of passengers in the cabin of an aircraft across all stages of flight. Their secondary duty is to see to the comfort of passengers. Flight attenda ...

Linda Lea Clapp and

Fred Trump Jr. Frederick Crist Trump Jr. (October 14, 1938 – September 26, 1981) was an American airplane pilot and maintenance worker. The eldest son of real-estate businessman Fred Trump Sr., he fell out of his father's favor when he chose to become a ...

, eldest son of real-estate developer

(

's father). Mary's older brother is

Fred Trump III Frederick Crist "Fritz" Trump III (born November 1962) is an American author and an advocate for people with disabilities. He is the son of Fred Trump Jr., the brother of Mary L. Trump, and a nephew of U.S. President Donald Trump. Early life ...

. When Mary was 16, her father died at 42 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

caused by

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

. Mary Trump graduated from the

Ethel Walker School The Ethel Walker School, also commonly referred to as "Walker's", is a private, college preparatory, boarding and day school for girls in grades 6 through 12 plus postgraduate located in Simsbury, Connecticut. History Founded in 1911, the ...

in 1983. She studied

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

, earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in English literature at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, for which she studied the works of

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

and his dysfunctional fictional

Compson family The Compson family is a fictional family created by American author William Faulkner for use in his novels and short stories. A once prominent family in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, the family began to fall on hard times in the twentieth cen ...

, and holds a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York, United States. Adelphi also has centers in Downtown Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County in addition to a virtual, online campus for remote students. As of 2019, it had ...

Will of Fred Trump Sr.

Fred Trump Sr.'s will left the bulk of his estate, in equal shares, to his surviving children, while each of his grandchildren was left $200,000. In 1981, when Mary's father predeceased him, Fred Sr.'s lawyers had recommended amending his will, to leave Fred Trump Jr.'s children larger shares than the grandchildren with living parents, writing that "Given the size of your estate, this is tantamount to disinheriting them. You may wish to increase their participation in your estate to avoid ill will in the future." However, Fred Trump Sr. refused to do so. Fred Sr. was diagnosed with "mild senile

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

" in 1991 and about two years later began to suffer from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. Donald Trump, at the time facing financial ruin, sought control of his elderly father's estate, leading to a family fight which ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' described as "epic". When Fred Trump Sr. died in 1999, Mary Trump and her brother,

, contested their grandfather's will. Shortly after Fred Sr.'s death, Fred III's wife gave birth to a son named William, who has

epileptic spasms Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) previously known as West syndrome needs the inclusion of epileptic spasms for diagnosis. Epileptic spasms (also known as infantile spasms) may also occur outside of a syndrome (that is, in the absence of ...

, a rare and debilitating medical condition requiring a lifetime of care. Fred Sr. had established a foundation that paid the medical expenses of his family. Mary Trump and her brother filed suit against Donald Trump and two of his three living siblings,

Maryanne Trump Barry Maryanne Trump Barry (April 5, 1937 – November 13, 2023) was an American attorney and United States federal judge. She became an assistant United States attorney in 1974 and was first appointed to the United States District Court for the Dist ...

and

, for exerting undue influence on the elderly Fred Sr.'s will. In response, Donald, Maryanne and Robert cut Mary and Fred III's medical insurance off , including coverage for William. The lawsuit was

settled A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...

in 2001, with Mary and Fred III selling their interests in the family business (which included ground leases for two of Fred Sr.'s major properties). Mary Trump provided financial records, including some Trump family tax returns, to ''

'' for its 2018 exposé on Fred and Donald Trump's finances, which alleges that Fred and the siblings of Fred Jr.especially Donald"participated in dubious tax schemes ... including instances of outright fraud", effectively avoiding over $500 million in gift taxes. Mary Trump sued her uncle Donald, aunt Maryanne, and the estate of her late uncle Robert in September 2020, claiming that they defrauded her of tens of millions of dollars from her interests in Fred Sr.'s real-estate portfolio by undervaluing her interests and coercing her to sign a settlement. The defendants' lawyers asked for dismissal of the lawsuit, claiming that she had waited too long to file suit. Trump's lawyers responded that diligence would not have uncovered the fraud" more than a decade earlier. In a January 2022 hearing, lawyers for Donald Trump, Maryanne Trump Barry, and the estate of Robert Trump asked for Mary Trump's lawsuit to be dismissed, arguing that she had waited too long to file her lawsuit because she had had access to the relevant documents since 2001 and that a

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

imposed by the 2001 settlement had expired. The lawsuit was dismissed in November 2022 on the basis that Trump's 2001 settlement agreement had "unambiguously released defendants from unknown claims, including fraud claims". She made an appeal request, which was denied on June 22, 2023. In September 2021, Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against his niece and ''The New York Times'' (namely the authors of the 2018 exposé) for over $100 million. The suit accuses Mary Trump and the three ''New York Times'' journalists of utilizing confidential documents in an "insidious" conspiracy against Donald. Mary called the suit an act of "desperation". In a January 2023 hearing, a lawyer for the ''Times'' argued that the truthfulness of the exposé outweighed other considerations. Donald's lawyer

Alina Habba Alina Saad Habba (, born March 25, 1984) is an American lawyer and political advisor who is currently serving as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, as well as a counselor to the President in the second Trump administration. B ...

singled out Mary's use of a

burner phone prepaid mobile device, also known as a pay-as-you-go (PAYG), pay-as-you-talk, pay and go, go-phone, or prepay, is a mobile device such as a phone for which credit is purchased in advance of service use. The purchased credit is used to pay for ...

to communicate with the ''Times'', the counsel for which argued was merely to protect its source. A

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

justice dismissed the ''Times'' from the suit on May 3, 2023, and ordered Donald to pay its legal fees (which neared $400,000) on the basis that his assertions lacked constitutional merit and that, owing to the

First Amendment First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, "reporters are entitled to engage in legal and ordinary news gathering activities without fear of

tort A tort is a civil wrong, other than breach of contract, that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with cri ...

liability". A June 2023 ruling allowed Donald to pursue his claim against Mary, which she appealed. The appeals court ruled in May to let the case proceed, stating that there was "a substantial basis in law" for breach of contract but that the duration of the confidentiality agreement needed to be determined and that Donald had to prove whether the disclosure had caused him any damages. In June 2025, a state judge ruled that Donald could pursue his claim while president of the United States.

Career

Mary Trump worked for one year at the

Manhattan Psychiatric Center The Manhattan Psychiatric Center is a New York (state), New York-state run psychiatric hospital on Wards Island in New York City. As of 2009, it was licensed for 509 beds, but holds only around 200 patients. The current building is 17 stories tal ...

while working on her PhD research. She is a contributor to the book ''Diagnosis: Schizophrenia'', published by

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's la ...

in 2001. Trump has taught graduate courses in developmental psychology, trauma, and

psychopathology Psychopathology is the study of mental illness. It includes the signs and symptoms of all mental disorders. The field includes Abnormal psychology, abnormal cognition, maladaptive behavior, and experiences which differ according to social norms ...

. She is the founder and CEO of The Trump Coaching Group, a

life-coaching Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

company, and has also owned and operated a number of small businesses in the

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

''Too Much and Never Enough'' (2020)

Mary Trump's first book, ''Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man'', is an

unauthorized biography An unauthorized biography, sometimes called a kiss-and-tell, or a tell-all, is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after ...

of Donald Trump published on July 14, 2020, by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

. According to Mary Trump's note at the beginning of it, all accounts in the book come either from her own memory or from recorded conversations with family, friends, and others. Other sources are legal, financial and family documents, email correspondence, and the ''New York Times'' investigative article by

David Barstow David Barstow (January 21, 1963) is an American journalist and professor. While a reporter at ''The New York Times'' from 1999 to 2019, Barstow was awarded, individually or jointly, four Pulitzer Prizes, becoming the first reporter in the history ...

Susanne Craig Susanne Craig is a Canadian investigative journalist and author who works at ''The New York Times''. She gained prominence for her reporting on Donald Trump's finances, revealing his 1995 tax returns during the 2016 presidential election and ...

, and Russ Buettner. The book details how Mary Trump was the anonymous source who provided ''The New York Times'' with Trump family tax returns. The ''New York Times'' report won the

2019 Pulitzer Prize The 2019 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the 2018 calendar year. Prize winners and nominated finalists were announced by administrator Dana Canedy at 3:00 p.m. EST on April 15, 2019. ''The Washin ...

. Upon the announcement of ''Too Much and Never Enough'' in June 2020, Mary's uncle Robert Trump attempted to block its release, stating that she signed a

non-disclosure agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at le ...

as part of the 2001 lawsuit settlement. The filing of a temporary

restraining order A restraining order or protective order is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation often involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and perso ...

against Mary Trump was dismissed by a New York court for a lack of

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...

, and the book was published on July 14, 2020. The book surpassed one million copies on its first day of sales. It went Number 1 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland, and No. 2 in Australia.

''The Reckoning'' (2021)

Trump's second book, ''The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal'', was published by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...

on August 17, 2021. Drawing from

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

, Trump posits that the country has suffered trauma from its inception because of its inclusion of systemic

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

and its failure to address the existence of

white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

, especially by

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in recent decades.

''Who Could Ever Love You'' (2024)

Trump's third book, ''Who Could Ever Love You'' (2024), is a memoir of her experiences related to her father's contempt in the eyes of Fred Sr. and resultant downfall.

''The Mary Trump Show''

Trump has a podcast, titled ''The Mary Trump Show'', on which she discusses politics and other matters. On February 1, 2022, she announced that she would be removing her show from

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

to protest alleged

COVID-19 misinformation False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through social media, text messagi ...

being spread on ''

The Joe Rogan Experience ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It was initiated on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and produce ...

'', which was exclusively distributed on Spotify.

Politics

Mary Trump supported

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

during the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

. In 2018, David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner of ''The New York Times'' published "an exhaustive 18-month investigation of Donald Trump's finances that debunked his statements of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges", for which they were awarded the 2019

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

in Explanatory Reporting. Trump has stated that she was a key source of information for that study, having come into possession of Donald Trump's tax documents during the discovery process in the dispute over her grandfather's estate. On July 15, 2020, Mary Trump said in an

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

interview conducted by

George Stephanopoulos George Robert Stephanopoulos (born February 10, 1961) is an American television host, political commentator, and former Democratic advisor. Stephanopoulos currently is a news presenter, coanchor with Robin Roberts (newscaster), Robin Roberts and M ...

that Donald Trump should resign as president, as he was "utterly incapable of leading this country, and it's dangerous to allow him to do so". In an interview later that month on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...

'', Mary Trump stated that Donald Trump exhibited

sociopathic Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with bold, disinhibited, and egocentric traits. These traits are often masked by superficial charm and immunity to st ...

tendencies but not at a high-functioning level like his father. She said the president was institutionally insulated from responsibilities throughout his childhood and was never held accountable for his actions. After the

January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

, Mary Trump said her uncle should be "barred from ever running for public office again."

Personal life

Mary Trump is openly lesbian. In ''Too Much and Never Enough'', she makes a brief reference to the fact and states that "Nobody in the family knew; they'd always been spectacularly uninterested in my personal life ... and never asked about my boyfriends or relationships." She wrote that her grandmother,

Mary Anne MacLeod Trump Mary Anne Trump ( MacLeod; ; May 10, 1912 – August 7, 2000) was a Scottish-American socialite and philanthropist, who was the wife of the real-estate developer Fred Trump and the mother of five children, including U.S. president Donald Trum ...

, once referred to

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

as a "

faggot ''Faggot'', often shortened to ''fag'', is a Pejorative, slur in the English language that was used to refer to gay men but its meaning has expanded to other members of the queer community. In American youth culture around the turn of the 21s ...

", and consequently, Mary Trump decided not to

come out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

and tell her grandmother or other immediate family that she was going to marry a woman, with whom she would later raise a daughter. She has since divorced, and lives on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, New York, with her daughter, who was conceived by

in-vitro fertilization In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the ovulatory process, then removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from t ...

via a

sperm donor Sperm donation is the provision by a man of his sperm with the intention that it be used in the artificial insemination or other "fertility treatment" of one or more women who are not his sexual partners in order that they may become pregnant by h ...

References

External links

* *
The Psychology of Donald Trump

The Good in Us by Mary L. Trump
(

Substack Substack is an American online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription-based content, including newsletters, podcasts, and video. It allows writers to send digital content directl ...

page) {{DEFAULTSORT:Trump, Mary L. 1965 births Living people 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American psychologists 21st-century American women scientists 21st-century American women writers Adelphi University alumni American clinical psychologists American LGBTQ businesspeople American LGBTQ scientists American lesbian writers American people of German descent American people of Scottish descent American women memoirists American women psychologists Businesspeople from New York City Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Lesbian businesswomen Lesbian scientists LGBTQ people from New York (state) LGBTQ psychologists New York (state) Democrats Scientists from New York City Mary L. Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni Writers from New York City 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American memoirists