Sister says Trump has 'no principles' -audio

Secret recordings published over the weekend appeared to capture President Donald Trump's own sister strongly criticizing her younger brother, saying the president had "no principles" and that "Donald’s out for Donald."

"All he wants to do is appeal to his base. He has no principles. None. None. And his base, I mean my God, if you were a religious person, you want to help people. Not do this."

The audio was first published by the Washington Post. Reuters has not independently verified the recordings.

According to the Post, the recorded conversations are between Maryanne Trump Barry, an 83-year-old former federal judge, and Barry’s and the president's niece, Mary Trump, who recently published a tell-all book that offered an unflattering look at the president and his family.

In another conversation released by the Post, Trump's eldest sister calls him "cruel," and claims that "he doesn’t read."

The Post published the recordings a day after the Trump family gathered at the White House for a private memorial for the president’s brother Robert, who died last week at a New York hospital. The cause of death was not revealed.

In late June, the 71-year-old Robert Trump won a temporary restraining order against his niece, Mary, to stop her from publishing her book titled "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man."

Mary Trump told the Washington Post she surreptitiously recorded conversations with her aunt, Maryanne, because of a dispute over inheritance.

In a White House in a statement to the Post about the recordings, Trump said, "Every day it’s something else, who cares. I miss my brother, and I’ll continue to work hard for the American people. Not everyone agrees, but the results are obvious. Our country will soon be stronger than ever before!"