Farewell to a First Sister
This week Donald lost his older sister Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, 86. I knew her well. We visited one another, dinnered together. We once lived in Fifth Avenue’s same building.
Early on they were in lockstep. Donald’s powerful connections were not lost in his lawyer sister becoming a longtime federal judge.
Maryanne sat with the family at his presidential investiture. Latter years her part retirement, part age, part infirmity, partly lessened that togetherness.
Once she complained to me about his Christmas gift. “Donald called Asprey because he was upset about its wrapping,” she said. “It was Asprey’s hand-tooled, very special leather album — but the problem was I’d wrapped it myself. What had happened was I accidentally stuck a pin through the ribbon and scratched the leather wrapping.”
An only brief crack in my own 50-year friendship with DJT was the anger when I did not attend his father’s funeral.
Donald always remained close to family.
People’s choice
Patrick Dempsey is this year’s Sexiest Man per People magazine.
Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Sean Connery, John Legend, Idris Elba already nailed that.
Legend: “It’s intimidating. Idris Elba was it one year and I’m no Idris Elba.”
Right. But minus People you could maybe pick Zach Galifianakis as the sexiest.
Now listen up
More celeb enshrining: Santa Barbara International Film Festival — known mostly in Santa Barbara — deems “Barbie” star Ryan Gosling “the next Spartacus.”
Exec Director Roger Durling — who? — says Ryan’s getting their Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film — their what? — in January.
More: Tucker Carlson, RFK Jr., Consuelo Vanderbilt are three who’ll address the RiskOn360 Global Success Conference Sunday and Monday at Vegas’ Ahern Hotel. Five hundred major paying clients will learn from heavyweights what “Risk On” means.
More: Sting, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Tom Cruise, JFK, G. Clooney, Princess Diana all stayed at Rome’s Hassler. Family-run for a century, deaf creator Roberto Wirth operated his hotel with scribbled notes. Age 72, he left us recently. His twins, Roberto Jr. and Veruschka, are keeping it classy as always. With holidays upon us, letting you know.
More: Eastsider columnist Arlene Kayatt says 1342 Lex’s maroon canopy once read “The Warhol.” It’s where he lived. That’s now brushed over. Some new owner couldn’t maybe afford a cheapo Warhol print?
More: Back in April breathing got heavy at hearing long-standing Papaya King was leaving uptown Yorkville. Relocating? A marshal’s notice mentioned eviction. I mean, please. This neighborhood fast foodery — there since the dinosaurs — is like a royal banquet to locals.
Help!! SOS! No more Papaya King? What about a Papaya Queen? Papaya Prince? Papaya Meghan Markle?
Some maybe 2024 awards for America sweet land of charity: Sen. Menendez’s face imprinted on Egyptian money . . . Hunter Biden’s behind stamped on US currency . . . Joe Biden’s brain finally installed in Joe Biden . . . An abacus surgically implanted in Bankman-Fried . . . New bartender job opening for mouthy AOC . . . Hypodermic needle instilled in Fauci’s fauci . . . And all Congress united in Our Country Tis of Me.
Only to be organized in New York, kids, only in New York.