Kai Trump: the convenient influencer changing the MAGA brand
Donald Trump’s granddaughter Kai enlisted a media brand agency to produce a slick behind-the-scenes video of the election night at Mar-a-Lago, leading experts to suggest she is being cultivated as a new Maga star.
The 17-year-old budding golf influencer appears to be expanding her social media operation into politics, following a speech she gave to the Republican National Convention in July.
She joined with the AKA Collective media agency and changed her handle on X from KaiTrumpGolf to just KaiTrump and has gained thousands of followers away from her previous niche golfing audience.
Experts say her lean towards Trump world and her behind-the-curtain look at election night is likely to benefit the president-elect, who is perceived to have a problem with attracting support from young women.
“This carefully curated public image points to a likely intentional effort to use her influence to bolster Trump’s brand,” said Krysten Stein, assistant professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati.
YouTube/@kaitrump
Professor Stein added that the election night video “hints at a level of professional control that goes beyond casual content creation”.
It is not clear whether Kai is producing content directly for the Trump campaign team. The Telegraph approached The Trump campaign and AKA Collective for comment.
Kai burst onto the scene when she was invited to speak at the RNC meeting confirming Mr Trump as the GOP presidential candidate.
She described him as “just a normal grandpa” who sneaks her candy and brags about her academic achievements to his friends.
Since then her public profile has skyrocketed. She now boasts an audience of millions of followers across her main social media platforms, while her election night vlog has been watched more than 2.9 million times.
Pictures of her alongside her grandfather, previously a rare sighting, have become a regular fixture on her Instagram feed, accompanied by effusive captions.
The polished election-night video follows Kai as she gets ready for the evening before seeing her family at Mar-a-Lago and attending the watch party.
On her way to the Palm Beach mansion, Kai tells viewers how her grandfather has “called me almost every other day”.
Footage of Mr Trump’s granddaughter talking about playing golf that morning and joking about her friend’s Nutella obsession is interspersed with glowing endorsements of her grandfather.
“I think he works so hard. I don’t know anyone who is more hard-working and driven than he is,” she said in one clip.
Reflecting after playing golf with Mr Trump a couple of days later, Kai gushes about her “incredible” and “unique” grandfather who “fights every single day for America”.
YouTube/@kaitrump
She said: “He doesn’t need this job, he doesn’t need it at all. He could just play golf for the rest of his life and live in Mar-a-Lago. But he wants to fight for this country.
“He’s going to kill it and make America great again.”
On top of the professionally-produced videos, Kai’s other social media platforms have also been used to spread a pro-Trump message.
One photo of the pair beaming alongside each other on the golf course, with Mr Trump sporting a red Maga hat, is captioned: “You inspire us all. I love you Grandpa.”
Her TikTok account, only launched in the wake of her RNC address, mixes golfing content with footage of her alongside Mr Trump. One video of the pair playing a round together, captioned:
“Come with me to play with grandpa,” has more than 18.9 million views.
YouTube/@kaitrump
Political branding experts suggested Kai could be a useful asset for the Trump campaign to share a positive image of the Republican with a new audience.
“Kai offers a softer intro into Maga world, and it makes sense to put her out there,” said Ryan Davis, co-founder of People First, an advertising firm that pioneered the use of micro-influencers for political campaigns.
“She’s a young, attractive, talented person who’s built a following because she’s a great golfer with a cool social media presence. I think she’s a vastly more appealing messenger than a Don Jr.”
The daughter of Donald Trump Jr and his ex-wife Vanessa Trump, Kai is an accomplished golfer who boasts a handicap of 0.2.
Just days before the election, she won the district championships with her school team, Benjamin Girls, in Palm Beach. After finishing school, she is due to join the University of Miami from autumn 2026, where she is expected to play for the Miami Hurricanes golf team.
On her social media, she is often seen playing with other YouTubers such as Garrett Clark, as well as pro-golfers including Bryson DeChabeau, another client of the AKA agency who sparked controversy after suggesting the families of 9/11 victims should forgive Saudi Arabia. He later said “nobody’s perfect” and asked for forgiveness.
According to the agency’s website, DeChabeau was able to “reshape his public image” after leveraging their expertise. He has also appeared on Kai’s Instagram playing golf with her and the president-elect.
The eldest grandchild of Mr Trump, Kai was nine years old when he entered the White House in 2016.
“If the Trump family has been good at anything, it’s building personal brands,” said Mr Davis. “She was the right age at the right moment, and it was the right time to do it.”
The promotion of Kai to speak at campaign events also comes at a time when Mr Trump has been left with a shortage of female surrogates, with Melania, his wife, and Ivanka, his eldest daughter, preferring to steer clear of the limelight.
“With figures like Melania and Ivanka Trump stepping back, Kai could represent a younger, ‘authentic’ facet of the Maga brand,” said professor Stein.
“By using platforms like Instagram and TikTok, she can engage these viewers informally, potentially positioning her as a significant figure in the next phase of the Maga movement.”