Kai Trump, the 19-year-old granddaughter of President Donald Trump, attracted widespread criticism for her comments about her privileged life at the ESPY Awards.
The teenager, who is the daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump, attended the ESPN-hosted ceremony to discuss her career as a golfer.
Kai, who made her LPGA debut last year on a sponsor exemption, signed with the University of Miami women’s golf program for the 2026-27 season.
Highlights
- Kai Trump faced backlash for her ESPYs interview, where her comments were seen as tone-deaf.
- Donald Trump's eldest grandchild was accused of failing to acknowledge her family privilege.
- Her pricey Erewhon grocery haul featuring a $21 smoothie was recently criticized as "out-of-touch."
Image credits: Kai Trump
In a red carpet interview with Sportico, Kai shared some words of encouragement for aspiring athletes and seemingly suggested she was living the “American dream,” a message that didn’t land well on social media.
"I just like showing my life and showing how, you know, you can still be an athlete, and you can still do a ton of other things, enjoy a ton of other things," said Kai, who is also a YouTuber.
"So I just kind of like showing people that everything's possible."
Image credits: Kai Trump
She added, "I love just showing the new generation my kind of progress, I guess, through college eventually, but obviously, how I got to where I am today.”
The 19-year-old was then asked about the "great" job her grandfather did with America 250 and the intersection of politics and sports at the White House event she attended.
To celebrate the United States’ 250 years of independence, Trump hosted an MMA (mixed martial arts) event staged on the South Lawn. It was the first professional sporting event held at the White House.
Image credits: Sportico
She replied, "Honestly, I kind of stay out of politics completely. It's just not my thing.
"I think the UFC event was great, and it was really cool being there and especially having veterans in the stadium as well.”
Image credits: Sportico
Her comments were met with outrage, with several people accusing Kai of failing to acknowledge the privilege that comes with her family ties.
“Anything is possible? Honey your grandpappy is a billionaire and the president,” one viewer raged.
“Truly the privilege of an elite who is constantly seen with and directly benefits from her familial ties,” someone else commented, while a third fumed, “You’re in the White House every other day but you stay out of politics lol.”
Image credits: Kai Trump
Kai previously came under scrutiny for a YouTube video she posted titled I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon.
Erewhon is a luxury grocery store chain in Southern California. It’s known for its premium organic foods and collaborating with celebrities for smoothies that cost around $20.
Image credits: Kai Trump
In the video, Kai is seen grabbing some $17 dates, the $21 Hailey Bieber smoothie, and other groceries. She ends by trying everything she bought and revealing that she spent $233.
She also jokes that she's "going to have to file for bankruptcy" after buying the expensive groceries.
Image credits: Kai Trump
The video, which has 700,000 views, was slammed as “tone deaf,” with one viewer commenting, "Probably one of the most out-of-touch video titles ever."
Another said, "Most Americans can barely afford regular groceries btw."
Kai, who delivered a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention, has featured her grandfather in several of her YouTube vlogs, including Celebrating America 250 at the White House! and I went to the Knicks game with my Grandpa (POTUS).
Image credits: Kai Trump
Speaking on the ESPYs red carpet, Kai also discussed the support she has received from golf legend Tiger Woods, who has been in a relationship with her mother since 2024.
“He’s inspired me a lot,” Kai said. “Just to be a better person, better golfer, and stuff like that.”
She added that Woods is “amazing” and has advised her to stay true to herself and “just live life.”
Image credits: Kai Trump
Kai said it was “interesting” that people were curious about her but explained that she prefers to keep a “balance” between the spotlight and her private life.
“I just like to keep on living my life like a normal teenager, to be honest,” Trump’s eldest grandchild shared.
“I live a very, very private life, and that’s kind of how I balance it all. I get to go to amazing events like this today, but then I’m gonna go home and hang out with my friends and just do normal people stuff.”
Image credits: Kai Trump
The social media personality later discussed her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, which was revealed in May.
At the time, the 48-year-old former model said she was working with her doctors on a treatment plan, before revealing a month later that she had undergone surgery.
Since then, Vanessa has not shared any further updates on her cancer journey.
Speaking with Page Six at the New York City sports event, Kai said her mother was improving.
"My mom's doing good," she said, adding, "She's doing better."