With a growing social media following and close family ties to the White House, Kai Trump looks set to be a major Gen Z player in politics and the influencer world.
President Donald Trump’s 17-year-old granddaughter interviewed college basketball’s Cavinder twins on her YouTube channel while the trio caught up at last weekend’s UFC event in Miami, signaling a possible interest in moving into the podcast domain - joining other popular female podcasters such as Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper or Mel Robbins of the podcast that carries her name.
But unlike Trump’s election tactics to conquer the “manosphere” by appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast and others such as the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross and Theo Von, Kai’s content could nudge more young women and girls towards the MAGA movement, and the GOP more broadly.
Kai offers “a window into the Trump family that feels more real,” author Kate Andersen Brower, who has written about the first ladies and the White House, told the Washington Post. “She’s not as guarded as Melania. And she’s clearly great on camera,” she added.
Kai, the daughter of Don Jr and Vanessa Trump, has amassed more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube, 3 million TikTok followers and 1.6 million followers on Instagram. Her content is largely about life on the golf course and about what she claims Trump is like as a grandfather.
“He's just a normal grandpa,” she said. “He gives us candy and soda when our parents aren't looking.” The way Kai talks about the president “humanizes” him in a way that comes across as “authentic,” Brower added.
She also posts videos about her outfits and getting ready for events she often attends with the president. She muses about some of her favorite TV shows such as Selling Sunset and Grey’s Anatomy. Her videos are produced by a professional management group, according to the Post.
The high school junior has a promising golfing career ahead of her and is already committed to playing the sport at the University of Miami - the same school as the Cavinder stars, who have an equally large social media following.
Companies have been lining up to confirm endorsement deals and sponsorships with Trump’s oldest grandchild as her personal brand, the NIL – which stands for name, image and likeness – as a college athlete is already worth more than $1.2 million.
Kai’s latest YouTube venture saw her accompany Trump to the UFC event on Air Force One. She created a 14-minute vlog on YouTube about the experience, which included a candid chat with influencers Hanna and Hailey Cavinder about the former’s recent breakup with college football player Carson Beck.
Shorter clips of the interview were widely shared on social media.
“Does he have friends?” Kai quizzed the twins, both 24.
“No, nobody likes him,” Hanna replied. “I broke up with him and all this cheating s*** came out, I had no idea. I didn’t break up with him because he was cheating, I broke up with him because of who he was.”
“Never cheat on my twin,” Hailey added.
Beck, 23, has not publicly addressed any of the claims made by the trio. The Independent previously reached out to Beck for comment.
“At the same time, he lowkey embarrassed himself,” Kai chimed in. “He went to Miami because of you. He embarrassed himself.”
