Not Many People Know This About President Trump’s Sister, But They Should

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President Donald Trump has a sister. Most people don’t know much about her, as she prefers to stay out of the public eye, in stark contrast to her brother, who has spent nearly his entire adult life garnering massive amounts of attention. There’s something very important that you ought to know about this woman, though.

Most of the attention paid to the Trump family is focused on the president, but did you know that he has a sister? Her name is Maryanne Trump Barry and she prefers to stay out of the spotlight, even declining interviews when her brother was a presidential candidate.

Despite her preference for privacy, however, President Trump’s sister is still wildly successful, just like her famous sibling. In fact, she’s a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Maryanne Trump Barry was nominated as a Federal District Judge by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, which is interesting, considering the comparisons which are often drawn between her brother and Reagan:

Donald Trump is the new Reagan. Nearly all the GOP candidates try to style themselves as heirs to the Gipper, but Trump has an especially strong claim. As Nate Cohn notes in The New York Times, Trump’s bedrock supporters are “self-identified Republicans who nonetheless are registered as Democrats. It’s a coalition that’s concentrated in the South, Appalachia and the industrial North, according to data provided to The Upshot by Civis Analytics, a Democratic data firm.” 

This group sounds very much like the fabled “Reagan Democrats.” The fact that Reagan and Trump both appeal to older, less-educated, white Democrats is hardly an accident given their similar profiles as ideologically flexible politicians with roots in the entertainment industry. 

Reagan was a Democrat for much of his life, while Trump in the past has supported Democratic politicians (including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama). On the key issue of abortion, both Reagan and Trump are chameleons, moving from pro-choice to the GOP’s anti-abortion party line. Their flip flops don’t seem to bother Republicans, while it makes Democrats who want to vote Republican feel more comfortable. 

Right-wing pundits like William Kristol frequently say Trump is not a real conservative. But the lesson of Reagan, who ran large deficits and negotiated with the Soviet Union, is that conservatism is more a matter of style than policy. Trump has learned that lesson well.

After Maryanne Trump Barry was nominated as a Federal District Judge by President Reagan in 1983, Bill Clinton then appointed her to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1999. She has had an illustrious career, indeed.

President Trump even called his sister for advice after Megyn Kelly painted him as a misogynist at the first Republican primary presidential debate. He said his sister was supportive.

The New York Times reports that Trump said he and his sister hold similar views and that she has even given him advice on how he should behave now that he’s president.

“She called me to say she’s very proud,” Trump said. “She said, ‘Just be yourself.’ Of course, I don’t know if that’s good advice, but she said, ‘Just be yourself and you do well, really well.'”

It’s difficult to think of a member of the Trump family who isn’t incredibly successful. From the president to his sister to his children, they’re all forces to be reckoned with. Many have even surmised that Ivanka or Donald Jr. will run for president one day, cementing the family’s reputation as a political dynasty.

But perhaps we should be keeping our eyes on Maryanne Trump Barry, especially as it is looking more and more likely that President Trump will have the opportunity to nominate a third Supreme Court Justice during his term.

Can you imagine the reaction from the liberal media if he nominated a family member? It’s not likely to happen, but it’s certainly an amusing thought.