Kai Trump, the granddaughter of President Donald Trump and an aspiring golfer who has signed to play at the University of Miami in the fall, is facing social media backlash after publishing a video showing her shopping at a Southern California market with her Secret Service detail.
Kai Trump is the eldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and his former wife Vanessa, and made her LPGA debut at the tour’s penultimate event of 2025, The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, in Belleair, Florida. She impressed pro players by shooting a 75 in the second round of the event, but she missed the cut.
The video, posted to Kai Trump’s YouTube channel on March 8, shows her browsing Erewhon Market in Santa Monica, California, and purchasing items she later reviews. The video was originally titled “I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon” but has since been changed to “I Tried the World’s Most Expensive Grocery Store.”
In one moment, Kai Trump said that she will have to “file for bankruptcy” after learning about a store-branded sweater that costs $165. The ultra-luxe grocery chain in the Los Angeles area is known for its remarkably high-priced products, such as $22 smoothies and $13 Medjool dates.
Secret Service agents are briefly seen in the video as Kai Trump exits the store and enters a motorcade. In what appears to be a hotel room, Kai Trump revealed that the bill for the market trip totaled $233.
Multiple comments on the YouTube video referenced Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. Some comments also called for Kai Trump and Baron Trump to be drafted to fight in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist, called the video a “modern ‘let them eat cake’ moment” in a March 9 post on X.
“Your kids might get drafted to fight in Iran, while the Trump family uses your tax dollars to shop premium, organic, gluten-free cake,” The Lincoln Project also said on X.
Kai Trump is active on social media, with nearly 1.5 million subscribers on her YouTube channel and 2.7 million Instagram followers.
Contributing: Zac Anderson, Golfweek and Irene Wright, USA TODAY; Reuters