Mary Trump Mystified by ‘Failed’ Democrats

Mary Trump has criticized congressional Democrats for “choosing to do nothing” about the erosion of American democracy and failing to properly address serious problems with the Supreme Court.

The estranged niece and frequent critic of former President Donald Trump began her Thursday blog post by accusing Republican leader Mitch McConnell of taking “a sledgehammer to American democracy,” condemning Justice Clarence Thomas’ “egregiously corrupt behavior” and labeling Justice Samuel Alito as “the Court’s poster boy for putting party before country or constitution.”

She then turned to Democrats, writing: “What remains mystifying to me, however, is the fact that Democrats in Congress who have the power to do something are choosing to do nothing.”

She called out Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, saying that he, “as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has thus far failed to live up to his responsibilities,” suggesting he should call for a hearing “to shine a bright light on the dangerous illegitimacy of the Supreme Court.”

Newsweek reached out to Mary Trump for comment via email on Friday.

Justice Alito has come under fire after photographs of two controversial flags displayed at his homes were released. Last week, The New York Times published a photograph of an inverted flag—a symbol used by supporters of Donald Trump to contest the 2020 election results—displayed outside Alito’s house just days before President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.

Earlier this week, an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which dates back to George Washington and was used by some Trump supporters during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, was seen at Alito’s summer home in 2023.

In response to Alito’s flags, Durbin said: “Justice Alito must recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection. And the Chief Justice must see how this is damaging the Court and immediately enact an enforceable code of conduct.

Over the past few years, the Court has been embroiled in several scandals, including accusations of financial improprieties, undisclosed relationships and conflicts of interest, with the public eye mainly on Justice Thomas, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Alito. A September 2023 Gallup poll shows that approval of the Supreme Court is approaching a historic low, with only 41% approving of the court’s performance.

In her post, Mary Trump said Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ statement following the news of the inverted flag outside of Alito’s house did not go “nearly far enough.” In the statement, Jeffries called for the justice to “recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 election and Donald Trump” and said Congress should impose an “ethical code of conduct on a runaway Supreme Court.”

“Some Democrats in Congress, like Durbin and Chuck Schumer, by not meeting the urgency of the moment, are allowing the authoritarian power of this anti-democratic pro-right-wing to go unchecked,” Mary Trump said, adding: “And they’ve got to do something about it starting yesterday.”