Trump's Nephew Claims Uncle Disparaged Disabled Americans

Fred C. Trump III, nephew of former President Donald Trump, has made shocking allegations in an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir "All in the Family: The Trumps and How We Got This Way," due for release on July 30th. He claims that his uncle once stated that disabled Americans should simply die. 

This controversial portrait of the ex-president is expected to include numerous other accusations such as his alleged use of racial slurs, according to a report by TIME magazine released on Wednesday. 

In this particular extract, Fred reveals that his son William suffers from infantile spasms - a rare disorder affecting both physical and cognitive development. This diagnosis led him and his wife to advocate for improved education, funding and research towards understanding how best to assist individuals with disabilities. 

During Donald's time as president, Fred reached out to Ivanka Trump who was serving as an advisor at the time. She facilitated a meeting between him and members of her father's administration where he spent approximately 45 minutes discussing disability-related challenges faced by their family members or patients with health care advocates and doctors present. 

The shocking part came after this discussion when Donald allegedly requested private conversation with Fred. It was then that he reportedly made the horrific statement about people with disabilities dying due to their expenses being too high. 

"I truly did not know what to say," writes Fred in his book "He was talking about expenses while we were discussing human lives." 

Both TIME magazine and USA TODAY have attempted contacting Donald regarding these allegations but have received no response thus far. 

Unfortunately, this isn't the first instance wherein Donald has been accused of insensitivity concerning individuals living with disabilities. During his presidential campaign back in 2015, he mocked Serge Kovaleski – a New York Times reporter suffering from arthrogryposis which impacts joint movement – imitating Kovaleski’s physically impaired movements during one public event leading up severe backlash against him later on 

Donald defended himself at the time by stating that he was criticizing Kovaleski’s journalism, not his disability. However, a spokesperson for The New York Times expressed outrage at Trump's actions and stated it was unacceptable to mock their reporter based on his physical appearance. 

It remains to be seen how these recent allegations will impact Donald Trump's political future. What is clear though is that they add another layer to an already complicated legacy of one of America's most controversial presidents. 

Rachel Barber, who penned this article, is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY with her primary focus being politics and education.