Kai Trump doesn’t want to follow in her famous family’s footsteps. President Donald Trump’s granddaughter (the daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump) recently talked politics on the 2026 ESPYs red carpet, and she has a pretty strong stance on her future.
While speaking with Sportico, Kai revealed, “Honestly, I kind of stay out of politics completely. It’s just not my thing.”
Donald Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Trump, attends the 2026 ESPY Awards at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York on July 15, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)
So what is her ‘thing’? Trump continued, “I just like showing my life and showing how you can still be an athlete, and you can still do a ton of other things. So I just kind of like just showing people that everything’s possible. Um, and I love just showing the new generation, like my kind of, like my progress, I guess, through college eventually. But obviously how I got to where I am today.”
Trump (Kai, that is) is a soon-to-be college freshman at the University of Miami. The talented teen will play golf on the Division I school’s team. She also hosts her own vlog (which currently has a whopping 1.51 million subscribers on YouTube).
How did fans react to Kai Trump’s red carpet political statement?
Nothing the Trump family does is without controversy. And this red carpet moment is no exception. Fans were divided, with some applauding the 19-year-old in the comments section on Sportico’s post of the interview clip: “Such a well-spoken young woman,” and “Keep it up, Kai. You’re great.” But the thoughts didn’t end there.
Cue the critics. Other comments weren’t exactly glowing. Some took issue with Kai’s statement that politics aren’t her thing, pointing out, “Staying out of politics, but has a photo shoot at a political house,” while others took the nepo baby angle, adding, “Anything is possible? Honey your grandpapper is a billionaire and the president”, “Yeah it’s called being born into an insane level of wealth. It doesn’t matter what choices you make you’ll always be rich,” and “How I got where I am today. Ah yes, a gal who fought the odds and won.”
One commenter did seem to stand up for Kai, clapping back against her critics with, “So many stunning and brave commenters being negative about a young person trying to do something that harms no one and entertains.”
President Donald Trump poses for photos with Kai Trump during UFC 327 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images)
Of course, over on Kai’s Instagram page, the comments were very different. Political or not, Trump’s fans absolutely adored her shimmering gold ESPYs dress, raving, “You look amazing”, “OMG girl you are nailing it! You’re gonna take after your mamma. You’re gorgeous and gold is your color,” and “Stunner.”
This story was originally published by Parade on Jul 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.