Meet Maryanne Trump's Son, David William Desmond
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The Trump family is most commonly associated with former President Donald Trump, his ex- and current spouses, and his children. But the New York City native was raised with four siblings who went off to start Trump families of their own, including Donald's eldest sister, Maryanne Trump Barry. The former federal judge kept her family small, having only one son, David William Desmond, with her first husband, David Desmond.
Unlike some of his relatives, David William Desmond has maintained a relatively private life. He spoke briefly to the press at his mother's funeral in November 2023, explaining that the memorial would be private and that the family would "prefer to avoid any press coverage," per the Daily Mail. Otherwise, Desmond has stayed out of the limelight cast by his famous family. He is a mental health professional and writer based in Florida and, occasionally, Paris, France.
Desmond has a wife, Lisa Renee Aitken, with whom he's had one child, a son named Robert.
David William Desmond and his wife got engaged in 1992
The New York Times published David William Desmond's (pictured far right) and Lisa Renee Aitken's (pictured to the left of Desmond) engagement announcement in its May 31, 1992, issue. Aitken's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Aitken, are listed as Naples, Florida, residents. Desmond's father-in-law was a senior executive for the Exxon Corporation. His mother-in-law's occupation was not listed.
Lisa got her bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University and later received her Master of Business Administration degree from New York University. At the time of the couple's engagement, Lisa was an executive assistant to the New York investment firm Wasserstein Perella & Company.
Desmond and Aitken's engagement didn't last long. Two months after they announced they were set to wed, the couple married at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Midtown Manhattan on July 18, 1992. Their wedding announcement was published one day later in the New York Times. Reverend Gary P. Fertig served as the officiant for the ceremony. Though the Desmonds' family life has remained relatively private ever since, we know the couple had one son, Robert (pictured), in the mid-'90s.
Maryanne Trump Barry's son took a clinical approach to his career
David William Desmond's mother, Maryanne Trump Barry, was a successful attorney and federal judge who was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by former President Bill Clinton in 1999. Desmond's step-father, John J. Barry, who married Maryanne two years after she divorced her first husband and David William Desmond's father, was a federal prosecutor for Newark, New Jersey, per the U.S. Sun.
Although David came from a strong legal and real estate background, the grandson of real estate developer Fred Trump opted for a different career path. Upon graduating from the Kew-Forest High School in Forest Hills, New York, David obtained a degree in behavioral sciences from the University of Chicago. He later completed his doctoral degree in psychology at Fordham University in the Bronx (via Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias).
At the time of his wedding, David worked at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center of New York's Neurological Institute (pictured here one year after its founding in 1912) as a clinical psychologist. Per ADE, he served as a principal investigator of the Stroke and Aging Research Project, a comprehensive study of hospitalized stroke patients' cognitive function. Desmond and his team have published multiple research articles on their findings.
David William Desmond's presidential uncle approves of his satire novels
In addition to penning numerous widely cited research articles, David William Desmond is also a satirist. His first novel, based in Palm Beach, Florida, and Paris, France, was titled "The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury." The novel has received numerous accolades, including USA Book News' Best Humor Book Award, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards' Best General Fiction/Novel and First Novel. "The Misadventures of Oliver Booth" was also a finalist for the 2009 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for Humor, Comedy, and Satire.
Desmond's book has also garnered praise from his family, including his uncle, Donald Trump, who would later become the 45th President of the United States. Trump's review of "The Misadventures of Oliver Booth" is included on the novel's Amazon listing and reads, "David Desmond has written a hilarious tale based on his insider's knowledge of life in Palm Beach and Paris. It should be a big success."
The son of Maryanne Trump Barry's second book continued the Oliver Booth franchise five years later with "Oliver Booth and the Evil Socialite." Desmond also used to write a humor column for the Palm Beach Daily News.
Desmond sold his Mar-a-Lago home in 2016 for almost $9 million
Unlike his mother, who famously turned heads with her fiery comments about younger brother Donald Trump, David William Desmond has largely stayed out of politics. We know through photographs that Desmond and his wife, Lisa Renee Desmond, had visited and owned a home at Trump's Floridian Mar-a-Lago estate in the late '90s up to the mid-aughts. However, the Palm Beach Daily News reported that Desmond sold his Mar-a-Lago property in September 2016, two months before his uncle would be elected president.
Desmond's Mar-a-Lago home sat at 160 Woodbridge Road and was originally built by his mother, Maryanne Trump Barry. Per the Palm Beach Daily News, the property was originally divided into two separate lots with a house on each. Barry bought the western lot in 2001 from Floridian philanthropist Ron Woods for $1.75 million and the eastern lot from her younger brother, Donald, for $1.7 million the following year. Both lots' homes were razed, and a new one was built in their place, which was transferred to Desmond in 2005.
The neuropsychologist sold the Woodbridge Road home to attorneys Lawrence M. Rolnick and Kimberly A. Sorrentino for $8.9 million. Property records revealed Desmond and his family had another home in Miami, Florida, though the family declined to comment on the sale.