by Steve Desroches
It seemed like a good idea at the time. At the beginning of the new millennium Mary Trump and her ex-partner decided they’d like to get a getaway on Cape Cod. But rather than buying a cute little bungalow or a seaside condo the two bought a bed and breakfast in Provincetown, namely Kensington Gardens sandwiched between Cottage and Mechanic streets. As a young girl, Trump and her brother Fred Trump III spent summers at Cape Cod Sea Camps in Brewster, and those idyllic days stayed with her always. She had visited Provincetown on day trips while at camp, and those visits left an impression as she thought the Cape tip was the greatest. But, she laughs, while her love for Provincetown was true and lasting, she soon realized she was not cut out at all for running a B and B, an often romanticized prospect that is actually a grueling 24/7 kind of work. So after a couple of years, in 2004, they began to sell off the property as condos and got out of the hospitality business.
As is often the case with Provincetown, something remarkable happened. First, here was a business run by a Trump that didn’t have egomaniacal lettering of the surname on it nor any gilded toilets, tacky chandeliers, or confidential government documents hidden in a bathroom. When it came time to renovate, by all accounts all vendors and contractors were paid and there was no evidence that any concrete from a mafia-controlled industry was used. As the property sold, it did so without any sign of manipulating market values. And when all was said and done, the transfer of deeds was done peacefully, without her inciting an angry mob to storm Town Hall led by the nose by a lie she perpetuated.
“It’s crazy, a Trump was involved and there were no scandals, imagine that,” laughs Trump—Mary Trump, that is. “I can’t say there wasn’t a gilded toilet, but if there was it was there before we were. It wasn’t a successful business venture though, so I guess we do have something in common after all. And then again, I never declared bankruptcy so I guess we actually don’t have anything in common.”
Indeed, since her Uncle Donald was elected President of the United States in 2016, and lost the election in 2020, Mary has continued to distinguish herself as an outlier of the Trump family, much like the pretty girl on The Munsters. She has been a ubiquitous media presence giving intimate details, with her background as a psychologist, as to how her uncle and her family in general, went from dysfunctional to dangerous, which she outlined in books like Too Much and Never Enough, The Reckoning, and her latest, Who Could Ever Love You (her brother published his own contribution this summer with All in the Family: The Trumps and How We Got This Way). And she’s further given a sheen to an otherwise tarnished name by endorsing Kamala Harris for President. Returning to Provincetown to take part in the 40th anniversary celebration of Women’s Week, Trump will be in conversation at Town Hall to talk about her insights, experiences, and more.
Trump looks forward to returning to Provincetown, a place that “always feels like home.” A place where her daughter used to play with comedian Judy Gold’s sons when they were neighbors on Cottage Street. A place where she became friends with Lynette Molnar when she was a member of the Women Innkeepers of Provincetown, the founding organization of Women’s Week. October is traditionally the month for surprises in election years, but Trump states it’s no surprise to her that the twice-impeached and convicted felon former President Trump is becoming increasingly more vicious as he seeks a second term of his Jonestown presidency.
“He thrives on division,” says Trump. “He demands complete and total loyalty. He makes certain people feel connected to him in a way that makes people feel like they owe him something. There’s no room for any disagreement or anything different. I’m not estranged from my family because of politics. It’s because of this toxic behavior.”
Describing her uncle, whom she refers to simply as Donald, as “racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and cruel,” Trump notes that he still feels quite empowered, and that rather than allow him to fade away, the Republican Party “decided they needed to go all in with a fascist.” Pulling from her family experience and psychological training, she believes Donald to have an untreated mental illness and paraphrases a neurologist who earlier this year said that while President Biden is aging, Donald Trump is dementing. She remains hopeful about the upcoming election, but can’t help but be concerned and disturbed that so many see Donald Trump as a viable candidate and by the prospect of the immense damage he could do with a second term in office, using the skills he learned from his father Frederick Trump Sr., and his mentor, the unscrupulous lawyer Roy Cohn. The latter represented the Trumps when they were sued by the Nixon Administration for racial discrimination in housing in 1973, right about the time Cohn began coming to Provincetown and young Mary visited town as a camper. Which begs the question, did Donald ever come to Provincetown seeking legal advice from Cohn, or for any other reason for that matter?
“Oh, no, no, no,” laughs Trump. “Donald never went to Provincetown. Roy Cohn was bad enough. Provincetown definitely doesn’t need Donald.”
In Conversation with Mary Trump is on Thursday, October 17 at Provincetown Town Hall, 260 Commercial St., at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($35-$150) are available at womensweekprovincetown.com.
