Mary Trump, President Donald Trump’s estranged niece, rebuked him after he posted a celebratory message on Truth Social following the death of former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who died at 81 on Saturday.
“Robert Mueller served his country honorably for decades,” Mary Trump wrote on X on Saturday. “In response to his death, Donald wrote: ‘Good. I’m glad he’s dead.’ If you think that’s acceptable or even remotely ok, you are part of the problem.”
Why It Matters
Mueller was one of the most consequential figures in modern American law enforcement—a decorated Vietnam veteran, long-serving FBI director, and the special counsel who led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election involving President Trump’s campaign.
Trump’s response to his death drew swift and widespread condemnation from politicians on both sides of the aisle, raising fresh questions about the standards of presidential conduct and the ongoing politicization of public figures’ legacies.
Mary Trump has long been one of her uncle’s most outspoken critics. In 2020, she published Too Much and Never Enough, a tell-all memoir about the Trump family in which she argued her uncle is “utterly incapable of leading this country and it’s dangerous to allow him to do so.”
The president later called the book “disgraceful” and told then-Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that Mary “was not exactly a family favorite,” adding, “We didn’t have a lot of respect or like for her.”
What To Know
Mueller served as FBI director from 2001 to 2013—the second-longest tenure in the bureau’s history — under President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he fundamentally restructured the agency around counterterrorism, transferring roughly 2,000 agents into national security roles.
After leaving the FBI, he was appointed special counsel by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election. His team spent nearly two years on the probe, ultimately producing a 448-page report that identified extensive contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia but stopped short of establishing a criminal conspiracy. The report declined to reach a definitive conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice. Trump repeatedly referred to the probe as a “witch hunt.”
Mueller had been living with Parkinson’s disease since 2021, a diagnosis his family disclosed publicly last September after a congressional committee withdrew a subpoena seeking his testimony in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.
After Mueller’s death, President Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”
Meanwhile, the White House has shown little regard for Mary Trump’s criticism of the president. White House communications director Steven Cheung previously told Newsweek, “Mary Trump is a stone-old [sic] loser who doesn’t have a clue about anything.”
What People Are Saying
Former President Barack Obama, via X: “Bob Mueller was one of the finest directors in the history of the FBI, transforming the bureau after 9/11 and saving countless lives. His relentless commitment to the rule of law made him one of the most respected public servants of our time.”
Former President George W. Bush, via X: “Bob dedicated his life to public service. As a Marine in Vietnam, he proved he was ready for tough assignments… Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathy to his wife of nearly 60 years, Ann, and the Mueller family.”
Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, via X: “Every day, this president shows his basic indecency and unfitness for office.”
Representative Dan Goldman, New York Democrat, via X: “We mourn the passing of Robert Mueller, a true public servant: bronze star Vietnam veteran, federal prosecutor, FBI Director, and impartial special counsel. Yet the President of the United States disgustingly celebrates Mueller’s death simply because he exposed Trump’s efforts to steal the 2016 election. Mueller and Trump represent polar opposites of what a public servant should be.”
Fox News analyst Brit Hume, via X: “This is the kind of stuff Trump does that makes people not just oppose him but hate him. There was no need to say anything.”
Conservative consultant Roger Stone, via X: “The judgement of Robert Mueller has moved to a much higher court.”
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