Trump campaign adviser not worried leaked Maryanne Trump Barry audio will hurt election chances
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller brushed aside leaked audio recordings in which President Trump's older sister and retired federal judge, Maryanne Trump Barry, can be heard sharply criticizing her younger brother.
In the tapes, which were secretly recorded by Trump's niece, Mary Trump, and obtained by The Washington Post, Barry can be heard saying the president "has no principles" and lies frequently. She also claims he paid someone to take his "entrance exams" so he could get into the University of Pennsylvania.
Miller said he isn't worried Barry's comments will have an affect on swing voters ahead of the November election. He dismissed the audio as nothing more than an example of a "sibling rivalry," which he said is quite common.
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.
As for Trump's take on his relationship with his sister, Miller said he's only heard the president speak highly of Barry and her accomplishments as a judge.
Meadows was a little harsher on Barry, whom he criticized for not attending the funeral of her other younger brother Robert, who died last week, and he also attempted to dispute some of her claims. Barry said Trump "doesn't read," but Meadows made the case the president reads more than anyone he knows. Ultimately, though, Meadows said it boils down to "just another day and another attack." Tim O'Donnell
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Political cartoons for February 7Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an earthquake warning, Washington Post Mortem, and more
-
5 cinematic cartoons about Bezos betting big on 'Melania'Cartoons Artists take on a girlboss, a fetching newspaper, and more
-
The fall of the generals: China’s military purgeIn the Spotlight Xi Jinping’s extraordinary removal of senior general proves that no-one is safe from anti-corruption drive that has investigated millions
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
