Donald Trump's Great-Nephew William, 25, Is Nonverbal and Uses a Wheelchair. Here's What William's Dad Wants You to Know

Fred C. Trump III has been hoping for this moment for more than 20 years — a moment when he can use his polarizing last name to advocate for the disability community on behalf of his 25-year-old son, William, who has complications from a rare genetic mutation.

Fred, the nephew of former President Donald Trump, recently came into the limelight with the publication of his book, All in the Family: The Trumps and How We Got Herein which she describes growing up in the Trump dynasty and details her experience raising a child with “complex” intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In a shocking excerpt from the book that immediately hit the headlines, Fred, 61, claims that Donald, 78, once told him to “just let [William] die” because of the cost of care, even after Fred brought advocates to the Oval Office to discuss how the government should do more to support people with disabilities and their families.

Donald’s spokesman dismissed many of the allegations and quotes in Fred’s book as “completely fabricated”, calling them “complete fake news of the highest order”, even though Fred claims they are “real stories”.

Donald Trump’s nephew says he told him disabled Americans, including his own son Fred III, ‘should just die’

Publicity from Everyone in the familywho arguably received more attention because of Donald’s controversial presidential run, has already opened the door to more promising conversations about disability rights than he had when his uncle was president.

“Civil rights and suffrage began with the movement,” Fred tells PEOPLE. “If I have a national platform, which I obviously have right now, I think I have to start a movement.”

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Fred and Lisa Trump hold their son William in intensive care in 1999.

Fred C. Trump III

Fred has wanted to improve the way the American public views disability and how it is treated in the American health care system since he and his wife Lisa were thrust into uncharted territory after William’s birth. The couple’s first two children were born healthy, and until William arrived, there was no indication that he would have a different experience than his older siblings.

“You talk about life changing… when you have a child who has hundreds of seizures a day like William, where did they come from? Why were they here?” he adds. “It literally took Lisa 15 years of internet research and stuff to discover she had a genetic mutation called KCNQ2.”

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Fred C. Trump III and his youngest son William.

Fred C. Trump III

Two years ago, William — who is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair — moved to a group home about 20 minutes from his parents in Connecticut for round-the-clock care.

Soon after, Fred began to think about his experiences and how they fit into the larger story of the Trump family. He wrote Everyone in the family with the idea that, along with the memoir component, it could be used as a resource for other parents who feel like they’re drowning trying to adjust to the new normal.

“There’s something I read years ago, about 20 years ago. Someone said, ‘Parents don’t expect or want to have a child who’s blind or has a genetic mutation or has autism,'” he says. “What my wife, Lisa, and I are trying to do in the book is to let people know what opportunities there are to gain knowledge about how to deal with the problems you encounter that you didn’t expect.”

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Fred C. Trump III and his son William Trump.

Fred C. Trump III

Fred’s book also expresses the need for disability rights, even at the highest levels of government. “[People with severe disabilities] are human beings,” he tells PEOPLE. “They have thoughts and dreams and they have meaning.”

From the beginning, it was difficult for Donald to understand William’s health problems, Fred claims in his book. In 2009, Fred — whose father died in 1981 — met with Donald to ask for help covering the costs of William’s medical care and therapy.

“So what’s the problem with him anyway?” Donald reportedly asked, according to the book. “As it is wrong with him?” Fred writes that he explained how doctors believe William has a genetic disorder but are still trying to determine a diagnosis. Donald reportedly replied, “Not in our family. There’s nothing wrong with that our genes.”

Eventually, Fred convinced all of his father’s siblings—Maryanne, Elizabeth, Donald, and Robert—to set up a joint medical fund for William.

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Fred and Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Fred C. Trump III

During Donald’s presidency, William says he visited the Oval Office a dozen times for various reasons. When his uncle’s team connected him with officials at the Department of Health and Human Services to discuss his advocacy goals, he realized he was privileged to have a direct connection to the country’s top decision makers.

That insider approach made it especially disheartening when, in May 2020, Fred said he learned the commander-in-chief was unmoved by an emotional presentation from him and other disability advocates about smarter investments to support people with disabilities and caregivers. After the meeting, Fred says in his book, Donald pulled him aside and said, “Those people… The way they are, all the expenses, maybe people like that should just die.”

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Donald reportedly repeated a similar, harsher line later when William’s medical fund began to dry up and Fred called his uncle to ask for further financial support. According to Fred’s book, which the former president disputes, Donald replied: “I don’t know. He doesn’t recognize you. Maybe you should just let him die and move to Florida.”

Apparently resenting Donald’s assessment, Fred tells PEOPLE, “William is the bravest and most inspiring person I’ve ever met…He needs help in everything he does, but there’s someone inside him. There is.”

Fred says that Donald’s spokesman alerted him just a few weeks ago that William’s medical fund had been dissolved.

Fred Trump III swims with his son William Trump.

Fred C. Trump III

With a raised profile from his memoir, Fred is more determined than ever to affect change in the field of disability and is pressuring elected officials and political candidates to help. “I’m not going to be just a face,” he says of his new platform. “I’ll be the mouth.”

Fred has three main areas he hopes to improve: carer training and funding; housing options; and prevention, by training medical professionals to recognize and treat conditions early in a child’s life. He has already met with some lawmakers and recently spoke at an American Association of Persons with Disabilities event.

After trying—but failing—to break into his uncle’s administration, Fred announced that he would endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. But while he has expressed his willingness to campaign for her and has even been invited as one of her guests at the Democratic National Convention in August, she won’t be getting a free pass.

“I said very clearly [the Harris campaign] at high levels that disability advocacy is very important to me and I’m not going to let that go,” he said. “Whether it’s a potential Trump administration or a potential Harris administration, we’re going to hold them to the fire.”

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Source: HIS Education