Kai Trump, President Donald Trump’s 18-year-old granddaughter, has begun using the White House as a backdrop to promote her new line of sportswear, becoming the latest member of the family to attract criticism in the process.
An elite-level high school golfer, the daughter of Donald Trump Jr is already a teenage millionaire, having attracted a slew of commercial sponsorship deals, and recently launched a website to promote a new line of $130 cotton sweatshirts bearing her initials.
To promote the venture, she posted a video of herself modeling the shirts in front of the White House on Instagram on Friday, before accompanying the president to the Ryder Cup aboard Air Force One, wearing a different version. This ensured press photographers saw her following his entourage.
Kai Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump’s granddaughter, departs the White House sporting a sweater from her new clothing line on Friday ,September 26, 2025 (Getty)
Then, on Monday, she posted a new video of herself golfing on the South Lawn again, wearing one of the shirts.
“Not many people get to do this, so I’m pretty lucky,” she admitted in the clip.
While some social media users praised her for harboring a “business mindset,” others were more disapproving, with one person writing: “$130 for a piece of clothing that has the initials of an 18-year-old kid that’s wild.”
Several others accused her of being a “grifter.”
Ever since the beginning of Trump’s first term in January 2017, his extended family has been embroiled in conflict-of-interest accusations due to their extensive business interests.
Kai’s aunt and uncle, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were regularly accused of using their advisory roles during Trump’s first term to promote their endeavours: she for wearing her own clothing line on official business and he for networking while on diplomatic missions to the Middle East.
Kai’s father, Don Jr., and uncle Eric Trump have also faced questions over their lucrative cryptocurrency ventures at a time when their father’s administration has a responsibility for regulating the sector.
Kai attended the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York, with her grandfather last week (Reuters)
Responding to the criticism of Kai, which overlooks the fact that she does not occupy public office, the administration said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal that “there is no prohibition against taking pictures on White House grounds nor is there a government endorsement of her product, so there is no issue here.”
The Office of Government Ethics said only that it “is committed to transparency and citizen oversight of government” and “does not respond to questions about specific individuals.”
“The Standards of Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch apply only to federal employees,” its spokesperson added.
Kai Trump currently plays varsity golf for the Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Florida, and is set to enrol at the University of Miami next year.
Since speaking at the Republican National Convention in 2024, she has developed a substantial social media following, boasting 3.3 million followers on TikTok and 2.2 million on Instagram. She has effectively utilized her platform to post behind-the-scenes footage from the final days of her grandfather’s victorious presidential campaign last November and of Inauguration Day in January.
She already has endorsement deals with Accelerator Active Energy, Leaf Trading Cards, and TaylorMade Golf. She has struck a distinctly Trumpian note in promoting her new shirts by declaring, “This is literally the best sweater material I’ve ever felt. Ever.”
