Donald Trump's sister is like a female version of Donald Trump

(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

published 18 August 2015

Did you know that Donald Trump has a sister? And that she's a judge on the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, appointed by Ronald Reagan and promoted by Bill Clinton? And that she thinks that women who cry sexual harassment are "professional hypochondriacs"?

Meet Maryanne Trump Barry, 78, the subject of a new profile in The New York Times, which among other details includes this speech Barry gave in 1992, calling for law enforcement agents to chill out when it came to sexual harassment.

"Professional hypochondriacs," [Barry] said, were making it hard for "men to be themselves" and were turning "every sexy joke of long ago, every flirtation," into "sexual harassment," thus ruining "any kind of playfulness and banter. Where has the laughter gone?" As for boorish behavior, the best way to disarm it was with "humor and gentle sarcasm," or better yet, that "potent weapon" of "feminine exterior and a will of steel." [The New York Times]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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