Kai Trump is 17 years old, has 1.45 million YouTube subscribers, a million-dollar golf career, and a Secret Service detail that follows her everywhere, including, as of this week, a luxury grocery store in Los Angeles.
On March 8, Trump posted a nearly 19-minute YouTube vlog originally titled “I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon,” documenting a shopping trip to the high-end LA supermarket where a single carton of eggs can run more than $10.
She tossed the viral Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie, a $10 lemonade, and several other items into her basket before being driven away in a government protection vehicle.
Her total haul came to $233. Her reaction on camera to spotting an Erewhon-branded sweatshirt priced at $165 was to joke that she was “about to go bankrupt.”
The video was later quietly renamed “I Tried the World’s Most Expensive Grocery Store.” The original title did not go unnoticed. Neither did the timing.
The United States is currently engaged in military operations against Iran alongside Israel, and young Americans, many of them Kai Trump’s age, are serving in uniform.
That contrast hit harder than the smoothie prices for a significant portion of Kai’s viewers, and by the time the backlash reached full volume, the story had moved well beyond a question of grocery budgets.
How Long Has Kai Trump Been Vlogging?
Kai launched her YouTube channel on November 7, 2024, the same night her grandfather won the presidential election.
Her first viral moment was an election night vlog that has since surpassed 5.3 million views.
She followed it with a behind-the-scenes inauguration series, White House day-in-my-life videos, and golf content, building her subscriber count to 1.45 million and her upload library to nearly 300 videos in just four months.
Her videos run long, often 20 to 35 minutes, and she posts frequently. The channel has become one of the more unusual presences on YouTube: a teenager with Secret Service protection filming daily life inside and adjacent to the most powerful office in the world.
Her January 1, 2026 video, a year-in-review titled “2025 Was a Year I’ll Never Forget,” ran over 35 minutes.
A September 2025 White House day-in-my-life video ran equally long. Her audience has grown with each upload.
Beyond YouTube, Kai has 3.4 million TikTok followers, 2.5 million Instagram followers, and nearly 1 million followers on X.
Who’s Speaking Out Against Kai Trump?
The backlash began in the comments section and spread quickly. “YouTube title might be the most tone deaf thing I’ve ever read.
Like legit,” read one of the most-liked comments under the video. Another wrote: “I love that my taxes are funding this instead of school lunches.” A third noted simply: “She had to cosplay as someone concerned about grocery bills for this video.”
On X, influencer and activist Matt Bernstein shared a screenshot of the original title and wrote: “It genuinely sometimes feels like they are trying to usher in a French Revolution.”
The post spread widely.
Another user added: “They’re sending people who barely get by as it is to get blown up for Israel, while their kids go to overpriced grocery stores and Miami condos without a care in the world.”
The sharpest criticism zeroed in not on the money but on the optics of the moment. The video dropped as tens of millions of Americans are grappling with a cost-of-living crisis that her grandfather has repeatedly downplayed from the Oval Office.
The juxtaposition of the granddaughter of the president filming herself spending $233 at a luxury grocer with armed federal agents in tow, joking about going broke, landed badly.
The Daily Beast, which first reported on the backlash, reached out to Kai Trump’s team for comment. No response was received before publication.
Who Is Kai Trump?
Kai Madison Trump was born May 12, 2007. She is the eldest child of Donald Trump Jr. and his ex-wife Vanessa Trump, and the eldest grandchild of President Donald Trump.
She spent most of her childhood out of the public eye before launching her social media presence in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential campaign.
She runs her own clothing line. A sweatshirt from her eponymous brand retails for $130, a fact that drew added attention when she was filmed promoting it on the White House grounds last September.
She has been estimated to have earned more than $1 million through golf-related endorsements and sponsorship deals.
She is, by any measure, a wealthy teenager with an enormous platform, and an unusually close proximity to political power.
Does Kai Trump Golf?
Yes, and she takes it seriously.
Kai has spoken openly about her goal of competing professionally on the LPGA Tour.
In November 2025, she made her LPGA debut at The Annika tournament in Belleair, Florida.
She shot a 13-over 83 on the opening day and finished last in the 108-player field.
She has not publicly stated whether she intends to continue competing at the professional level, but her channel continues to feature golf content prominently.
