Say what you will about the Trump family, but “routine” is not in their vocabulary. The White House can now add another surreal milestone to its résumé: Kai Trump, the eldest granddaughter of arguably the world’s most talked-about dynasty, second only to the Kardashians, is just 18 and already giving her grandfather, yes, President Donald Trump himself, a lesson in modern-day wealth management.
Once upon a time, the path to millions ran through oil fields or casinos. For Gen Z, it starts with a TikTok feed, an energy drink sponsorship deal, and a perfectly curated look featuring a golf club in hand.
Kai and Donald Trump. Photo: Instagram
Kai is more than just “Trump’s granddaughter.” She’s a financial outlier in a family where money is hardly scarce. Her father, Donald Trump Jr., is a media strategist and a contender in the family’s unofficial scandal competition. Her mother, Vanessa, a former model and high-society fixture, has been in a high-profile relationship with golf legend and scandal magnet Tiger Woods since her 2018 divorce from Trump Jr.
So what does life look like when you’re a social media star pulling in five times the salary of the US president? In case you missed it, Grandpa Donald earns about $400,000 a year as president, a modest sum compared to the $2.5 million Kai rakes in annually. Her income stems from a combination of her rising career as a professional golfer, her wildly successful social media presence with partnerships including TaylorMade Golf and sports drinks, and a $16 million family trust fund sitting pretty at JPMorgan.
The secret to it all? The NIL law – short for Name, Image, Likeness – which has transformed any young person with millions of followers into an endless marketing machine.
Kai Trump. Photo: Instagram
Despite out-earning her grandfather by a wide margin, Kai still knows how to show him respect when it counts. Her speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention, which followed the attempted assassination of Trump, went viral. She took the stage to recall how her grandfather “hands out candy and asks about grades.”
Since then, she’s become a full-fledged influencer, amassing millions of followers and leveraging them into commercial deals worth tens of millions of dollars. Along the way, she also starred in a viral video where she appeared to be working at Starbucks and celebrated her 18th birthday with friends, footage that drew sharp backlash online for portraying her as a privileged teen out of touch with the harsh realities around her.
