For Donald Trump, who was recently elected the 45th president of the United States, family has always played a key role in his presidential campaigns. Take his son, Donald Trump JR, who serves as vice president for the Trump organisation, or his daughter Ivanka, who became a white house power player following her father’s successful 2016 run for presidency.

Now, it’s Trump’s grandchildren that are catching the world’s attention – with one in particular making waves in the political sphere. Meet Kai Trump, Donald Trump’s eldest grandchild.

At 17 years old, Kai has made many appearances over the years, but she truly stepped into the spotlight in August this year, speaking publicly for the first time at the Republican National Convention. Since then, she has amassed thousands of followers to her TikTok and Instagram, where she posts insights into her daily life and highlights her close relationship with her grandfather.

However, Kai Trump’s father sparked a backlash online when he referred to her as ‘sexy.’ Speaking in a TikTok video, He says ‘Kai, what do you think, getting makeup make me sexy like you?’ His teenage daughter tells him: ‘I think you look very beautiful.’

The video, which has been viewed over eight million times, sparked outrage in the comments. Some users called him ‘creepy’ while another wrote ‘ So actually we don’t wanna be calling our daughter sexy.’ However, others suggested his comments were taken out of context, with one user writing ‘he’s clowning around with his daughter, not showering with her.’

But over on the Twittersphere, there is undoubtedly some gross commentary around Kai’s appearance. Some refer to Kai as ‘sexy’ or ‘good looking’, with one user writing on X ‘Kai trump looking sexy rn’ and another saying, ‘she’s super hot. she has the same smile as her grandpa.’ Others chose to claim that the dress she wore on election night was inappropriate, with one user writing it was ‘too short.’

Of course, calling young women sexy – and judging their dress sense – on the internet is something we’ve sadly seen time and time again. But it’s particularly problematic to see a 17-year-old girl sexualised for simply existing.

In fact, there are much more interesting things about her than her appearance. With that in mind, here’s everything to know about Kai Trump…

Who is Kai Trump?

Kai Madison Trump is the eldest of Donald Trump’s ten grandchildren. Her parents, Donald Trump Jr and Vanessa Trump, divorced in 2018, and the couple share five children. Donald Trump Jr is the eldest of Trump’s children and serves as vice president for the Trump organisation. He is also an advisor to his father and played a key role in the selection of Trump’s running-mate JD Vance, referring to him as a friend. ‘It’s an incredible pick,’ he said at the Republican National Convention. ‘Truly a great choice.’

Kai was born and mostly raised in New York, but she now lives in Jupiter, Florida with her mother. Kai is a keen golfer – a hobby she also shares with her grandfather. In clips posted on social media, Donald Trump is out golfing with Kai, and she captioned the video ‘Sundays with Grandpa.’

How old is Kai Trump?

Kai Trump is 17, making her just one year younger than Trump’s youngest child, Barron Trump, who is 18.

Who are Kai Trump’s siblings?

Kai Trump has four siblings: Donald John Trump III, 15, Tristan Milos Trump, 13, Spencer Frederick Trump, 12 and Chloe Sophia Trump, 10.

What has Kai Trump said about Donald Trump?

Kai stepped into the spotlight at this year’s National Republican Convention, where she spoke publicly for the first time. In the speech, she spoke about the more personal side of her grandfather’s life.

‘The media makes my grandpa seem like a different person,’ she said. ‘But I know him for who he is. He is very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country. And he will fight every single day to make America great again.’

She also shared how her grandfather takes an active interest in the grandchildren’s school life. ‘He calls me during the middle of the school day to ask how my golf game is going, and tells me all about his,’ she said. ‘But then I have to remind him that I’m in school and I’ll have to call him back later.’

What is Kai Trump’s Instagram?

Alongside her political endeavours, she’s becoming a social media star in her own right. On Instagram and TikTok, Kai shares insights into her daily life. And she’s got a growing fan base – Kai has 1.2m followers on TikTok, and 664k followers on Instagram.

On her YouTube channel, Kai recently documented her experience of election night. ‘I’m going to see my grandpa, have family dinner with him, just, like, spend time with them,’ she says in the vlog. ‘And then I think I’m going to head over to the convention center after… just see my friends and like, close family that have supported me and my grandpa over time.’

She also described her nerves before the results were revealed. ‘I’m a little nervous,’ she said. ‘Actually, that’s an understatement. I’m very nervous. The past five days I have been so nervous…I feel like I’ve had butterflies in my stomach for so long, and I really hope we find out [the results] soon.’

When she’s not playing golf or being active in politics, Kai’s socials show a life like any other teenage girls – she enjoys shopping trips to the mall and going to the gym.

You can follow Kai on Instagram at @kaitrumpgolfer. Her TikTok handle is @thekaitrumpgolfer.

What is Kai Trump’s relationship to Elon Musk?

Elon Musk was a key supporter of Trump’s presidential campaign – and appears to be a close friend of the family. Earlier this month, she shared photos to X from a family golf outing featuring Donald Trump, sister Chloe and Elon Musk. She quipped that Elon was now part of the family as he joined the group with his 4-year-old son, X Æ A-12. ‘Elon achieving uncle status,’ she wrote alongside a photo of Elon and his son, who he shares with musician Grimes.