WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) – Maryanne Trump Barry, former president Donald Trump’s older sister and a former federal judge, has died at age 86, according to family members.
The former president remembered his late sister in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.”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 U.S. Supreme Court,” he wrote. “She was a great Judge, and a great sister. She will be truly missed!”
The former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., had confirmed Trump Barry’s death on Monday.”As I pulled up here this morning, I found out my aunt passed away,” Donald Trump Jr. told reporters outside a courthouse in Manhattan where he was testifying in his father’s civil fraud trial.
“It’s obviously a rough day for that, but unfortunately it is what it is,” he said.Trump Barry died at her home in Manhattan and was found early Monday morning, according to media reports.
The New York City Police Department said an 86-year-old female was found unconscious and unresponsive inside the bedroom of a Fifth Avenue apartment and was later confirmed dead. There were no signs of trauma, an investigation was ongoing and her identity could not be released, the department said.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a statement regarding her death on Tuesday. “Judge Barry was a larger-than-life presence in the courtroom, incredibly smart, and passionate about the law and ensuring equal justice to all,” the court said.Trump Barry was appointed in 1983 by then-President Ronald Reagan to be a judge in New Jersey’s U.S. District Court and later became a federal appeals court judge. She retired in 2019.