Mary L. Trump on Growing Up Gay in an 'Anti-Everything' Family

The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, last week said that your uncle has a great record when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues. What do you think about that?

First of all, that woman hasn’t told the truth since her very first appearance. From the moment she appeared, she started lying. I don’t pay any attention to her. It’s grotesque to me that the American taxpayer pays her salary, and all she does is lie to them.

What was it like with the family? Was there just an absurd amount of toxic masculinity where white, straight rich men had the final say?

"Everyone in my family was misogynist and there was a clear double standard. But thinking back, I never saw it as toxic masculinity because the only two men that mattered in my family were Donald and my grandfather. So, there was a much bigger issue, and that was this toxic positivity that my grandfather pushed on so hard.

He believed in the power of positive thinking to such a degree that it wasn’t positive at all. Because if you are required to think that everything was great all the time, that there was no room for mistakes, and that there was no suffering or pain or any emotion. It was severely damaging, but emotionally and psychologically. It’s destructive.

And that’s why Donald thinks everything is great all the time because admitting to any kind of pain or failure is a weakness punishable by death."

MARY!

R2 Her quote about "toxic positivity " and believing that positive thinking solves everything is incredibly insightful. Not just because of what it says about Trump but because it's so prevalent in American culture, particularly among the rich conservatives who run the show . The idea that anyone in dire straits just needs a better attitude is often pushed at the expense of setting up a strong social safety net or pushing for income equality.

I love Mary L. Trump. Smart, articulate woman, doesn't hold back. Thanks for the book, Mare!

I was just about to make the same comment, R4.

"Toxic positivity" explains so much about him. I remember my parents had "The Power of Positive Thinking" in the living room bookshelf in the '70s and '80s.

They took that to the extreme, as did a lot of suburban parents their age: Shut down emotionally, try to will things away, live a life based in concepts instead of reality. Emotional intelligence and empathy were not their thing.

How the fuck did I not know she was gay? Lesbians are kicking ass right now! I think we gays should just take over the world and fix everything. Dumb fucking straights have no clue.

R7. I love Mary Trump, but one look at her on her first interview for the book, you could tell she is a lesbian.

My dear, you're losing your touch.

I haven't watched any of the interviews. I've only read articles at this point. I guess I'm just surprised that Trump hasn't attacked her as an angry lesbian or tweeted about her just needing some dick or something. And, I'm from Illinois, so between Mary Trump and Lori Lightfoot, I love these lesbians getting under this fucker's skin.

I'm not sure why Trump seems to go relatively easy on her. My only guess is that there are other relatives who haven't said a word and perhaps have warned Trump that if he goes too hard on Mary they might write their own books in her defense

The Trump family dynamics are very complex and Mary's book may only be the tip of a very nasty iceberg. Might be best to drop it or risk more family revelations

Maybe she can replace Ellen.

[quote] They took that to the extreme, as did a lot of suburban parents their age: Shut down emotionally, try to will things away, live a life based in concepts instead of reality. Emotional intelligence and empathy were not their thing.

Instilled in them no doubt by their parents, themselves children of WWI and the depression, where feelings were not to be explored and often, no one would talk about anything, just insist all was OK.