Trump’s Nephew: My Uncle Told Me Disabled Americans ‘Should Just Die’

TIME Magazine shares an excerpt from the forthcoming book All In The Family: The Trumps and How We Got This Way by Donald Trump’s nephew, Fred C. Trump III, who has a disabled son, wherein the former president once suggested to him that disabled Americans “should just die.”

Fred C. Trump III: My uncle Donald Trump told me disabled Americans like my son ‘should just die’ https://t.co/xHYYMzDrwX

— TIME (@TIME) July 24, 2024

Fred Trump III writes that he, then-President Trump and then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, along with disability rights advocates, spent 45 minutes discussing the needs of people with disabilities at a White House meeting in May 2020. After the meeting, the Donald spoke to him (via TIME):

He sounded interested and even concerned. I thought he had been touched by what the doctor and advocates in the meeting had just shared about their journey with their patients and their own family members. But I was wrong.

“Those people . . . ” Donald said, trailing off. “The shape they’re in, all the expenses, maybe those kinds of people should just die.”

I truly did not know what to say. He was talking about expenses. We were talking about human lives. For Donald, I think it really was about the expenses, even though we were there to talk about efficiencies, smarter investments, and human dignity.

In @time, Trump’s nephew recounts a conversation w/ then-president Trump after 2020 White House meeting with disability advocates.

“Those people…” Trump said of people w/ complex care needs. “The shape they’re in, all the expenses, maybe those kinds of people should just die.” pic.twitter.com/jj9PleICKi — Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) July 24, 2024

In a later episode in the book, Fred shares that the Trump family had set up a fund to help defray the costs for caring for his disabled son, William. But after his father, Robert Trump, died in 2020 the funds began to run low as other family members apparently became less interested in contributing. Fred reached out to his uncle Donald (again via TIME):

I said I’d heard the fund for William was running low, and unfortunately, the expenses certainly were not easing up as our son got older. In fact, with inflation and other pressures, the needs were greater than they’d been.

“We’re getting some blowback from Maryanne and Elizabeth and Ann Marie. We may need your help with this. Eric wanted me to give you a call.”

Donald took a second as if he was thinking about the whole situation.

“I don’t know,” he finally said, letting out a sigh. “He doesn’t recognize you. Maybe you should just let him die and move down to Florida.”

Read more at TIME.

Fred Trump also describes a phone call he had with Donald about funding to support medical care for his son, William, who is disabled.

“I don’t know,” Trump allegedly told his nephew. “He doesn’t recognize you. Maybe you should just let him die and move down to Florida.” pic.twitter.com/YnjYZ8Hysq — Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) July 24, 2024