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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Mike Bedigan

Trump’s granddaughter Kai wants to be the next MAGA influencer

With her millions of social media followers, regular online vlogs and burgeoning sports career, Donald Trump’s teenage granddaughter looks to have set her sights on becoming the most influential, young MAGA influencer.

The 17-year-old golf enthusiast, who last year committed to the University of Miami, has recently leaned into her online platforms, giving her fans an insight into her life as the president’s eldest grandchild.

Kai, the daughter of Don Jr and Vanessa Trump, currently has 1.5 million followers on Instagram, over 900,000 followers on X, and 2.9 million on TikTok. She also has one million subscribers to her YouTube channel and boasts her own camera crew.

On the channel, the teenager posts weekly videos that combine a mixture of her life on the course, attendance at major political events, and the struggles of being part of one of the world’s most famous families. Her videos often have millions of views.

Kai Trump, the president’s eldest granddaughter, has millions of followers across various social media platforms (AP)

In her latest high-production value video, posted on Wednesday – which has already racked up almost 700,000 views, Kai golfed with her father and admitted it was “tough” to have round-the-clock protection from the Secret Service.

“It’s tough because you’re in high school and you want to have your privacy,” she said. “But I feel no matter what I’ll probably never have the privacy as other kids my age so I kinda just have to deal with it.

“Also, having Secret Service is a good thing because you never know what will happen. There’s a lot of wackos.”

Kai Trump golfs with father Donald Trump Jr (Kai Trump/ YouTube)

“Like all things, you take the good with the bad,” her father replied, as the pair whizzed around a luxury golf course. “You’ve done a great job. It’s enabled you to create a platform. You can do a lot of stuff that other people can’t do so you gotta take that but with everything, there’s a trade-off.”

“I wouldn’t trade my life for anything, I wouldn’t switch it. It is what it is,” the teenager replied.

Last August, Kai announced that she had verbally agreed to attend the University of Miami to play golf. It was recently revealed that the teenager already has a $1.2 million NIL Valuation.

Ranking site On3 describes its NIL Valuation as the “leading index in the industry that determines the projected annual value for high school and college athletes.” The first granddaughter’s $1.2 million valuation places her among the top of the NIL valuations for women student-athletes.

The NIL — which stands for “name, image and likeness” — allows student-athletes to profit from their personal brand. The NIL value measures a student-athlete’s forecasted marketability, based on “on-field performance, media exposure, and social media presence.”

Last month, Kai signed a NIL deal with Dallas-based company Leaf Trading Cards, with each pack retailing for $199.99 and including one autographed card.

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