Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, said the president has gotten himself involved in a war that is exposing his weakness to the world, not just America.
“It’s absolutely stunning what a debacle this is,” the psychologist and author told The Daily Beast Podcast host Joanna Coles about the war in Iran, which was started by her uncle. “It is entirely his responsibility,” Mary said.
Mary, 61, the daughter of Trump’s late older brother Fred Trump Jr., continued by saying that the 79-year-old president will try to place the “blame” for the war on others as negotiations continue to stall, but that “nobody is going to fall for that” because he did not seek permission before becoming involved.
Trump launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, invoking sweeping executive powers and sidestepping a formal congressional declaration of war.
He justified the strikes as a “preemptive” response to “imminent threats” from Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, though his administration has since offered shifting explanations for the U.S. intervention.
At the start of the war, the president said it would end within six weeks. Sunday marked 100 days of the conflict, with Trump telling Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press in a prerecorded interview on Friday that the two sides are “very close” to signing a pact—an assertion he has repeatedly made since the outset.
“Iran is holding all of the cards right now. So one of Donald’s favorite myths about himself is being exposed for the nonsense it is. He is not a great deal maker, in fact. He doesn’t know what he’s doing at all,” the president’s niece said.
Mary added that she believes there “are no solutions” at the moment to end the war, and that it will become “glaringly obvious to anybody paying attention” that Trump entered a war he has lost control of, “against all advice.”
In response to a request for comment, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote: “Mary Trump is a stone-old loser who doesn’t have a clue about anything. Her entire worth as a human being is predicated on spewing lies about President Trump in a sad attempt to stay relevant.”
On Wednesday, the president’s increasingly unpopular war with Iran suffered a clear setback, as four Republicans broke ranks with Trump and House GOP leaders to pass a resolution blocking further U.S. military action in the region. The measure passed 215–208 and will now go to the Senate.
“It’s one thing for America to have made the egregious decision to put someone as unqualified and corrupt as he is in charge of this country,” the Too Much and Never Enough author said about Trump, adding, “It’s another thing entirely to unleash him on the rest of the planet.”
In fact, Trump’s support among his own voters has suffered as the war in Iran has caused gas prices to rise above $5 in some states and deepened an affordability crisis for Americans.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten has described a “rural revolt” across the country, with rural voters who backed Trump in states like Iowa increasingly dissatisfied with the economy. A May Politico survey found that 53 percent of Americans say the cost of living is the worst they can remember, up from the 46 percent recorded in November.
“The American people are more interested in their economic stability than any other issue,” Mary said, referring to the president’s economic challenges. “So they understand how bad this is. Donald and his people can lie all they want about the health of the economy,” she added.
The president has tried to defend his economy through late-night posting sprees on Truth Social and by calling affordability concerns a “hoax.” His top economic adviser has even suggested that higher consumer spending is a sign Americans are “optimistic about the future.”
Still, the latest YouGov/Economist polling shows 35 percent of respondents approve of Trump’s performance, while 60 percent disapprove, marking the lowest approval rating of any president since the survey began in 2009.
“Donald is losing control not only over the narrative, which I don’t believe is something that’s ever happened before, he’s losing control of himself,” Mary said.
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