Trump's niece says he has used anti-Semitic and racist slurs


During an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Thursday night, President Trump's niece, Mary Trump, said she has heard him use both racist and anti-Semitic slurs.
Mary Trump's book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, was released on Tuesday. She told The Washington Post that growing up in her family, she witnessed "knee-jerk anti-Semitism" and "knee-jerk racism." Maddow asked Mary Trump about this, and whether she ever heard her uncle "express either anti-Semitic slurs or the n-word or other racist slurs." She quickly responded: "Oh yeah, of course I did. I don't think that should surprise anybody given how virulently racist he is today." Maddow followed up by asking if she heard the president use the n-word, and Trump replied, "Yeah."
Within the last month, President Trump has defended Confederate statues and retweeted a video of a supporter yelling, "White power!" Earlier this week, when asked about Black people being killed by police officers, he responded, "So are white people."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Update, 10:01 p.m. ET: The White House told The Rachel Maddow Show that Too Much and Never Enough is "a book of falsehoods, plain and simple. The president doesn't use those words." Maddow noted that Mary Trump did not write about her uncle using slurs in Too Much and Never Enough.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 6, 2025
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - rare earth minerals, rising prices, and more
-
What to know about Real IDs, America's new identification cards
The Explainer People without a Real ID cannot board a commercial flight as of May 7, 2025
-
Where is the left-wing Reform?
Today's Big Question As the Labour Party leans towards the right, progressive voters have been left with few alternatives
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote