Tiffany Trump has made a noticeable effort to become one of the family’s most visible figures, attending major appearances, staying close to Donald Trump, and looking increasingly comfortable in the political spotlight. Even so, the person now getting the president’s biggest smile appears to be someone else entirely.
That someone, according to people close to the family, is Kai Trump.
The 19-year-old eldest grandchild of the president has apparently settled so comfortably into the family spotlight that insiders are now describing her as Donald Trump’s new favorite, a title that once belonged almost exclusively to Ivanka.
Sources told Rob Shuter for his Naughty But Nice Substack: “Kai has replaced Ivanka as Donald’s favorite. She makes him laugh, keeps him feeling young, and genuinely loves being around him. He absolutely lights up whenever she’s with him.”
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The insiders were equally candid about where that leaves everyone else. “Kai has naturally stepped into that space,” they added. “Donald loves that Kai connects with a younger generation. She’s fun, loyal, and authentic. Right now, she’s the Trump everyone wants to see, and Donald couldn’t be prouder.”
Kai and her grandfather share a genuine, well-documented love of golf, a sport she has been playing since the age of two. She recently joined him for a round at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., for her YouTube series and reflected on what those years together have meant.
“People know him as a businessman or politician. But to me, he’s just my grandpa. We’ve been playing golf together for years. It’s something he’s always loved, and it’s become a way for us to spend time together. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from being on the course with him, not just about golf, but about life.”
Away from the fairways, she has built a public profile that many political consultants would struggle to create from scratch. She delivered a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention that political commentator Van Jones praised by saying, “the granddaughter came out and opened up our hearts.” She has endorsement deals with TaylorMade and Callaway Golf, a NIL valuation of $2.25 million, and a social media audience that includes 3.7 million followers on TikTok and another 2.7 million on Instagram.
She is, in every modern sense of the word, a brand, and this fall she will head to the University of Miami to play collegiate golf for the Hurricanes.
That leaves Tiffany in a particularly awkward position.
She has been working considerably harder for considerably less payoff. “Tiffany was barely seen or heard from during Donald’s years in the White House, but she’s angling herself to be a major player if he regains the office,” an insider previously told outlets. She showed up, put in the effort, and stayed visible.
The Trump family has never exactly been short on personalities.
Donald Trump has five children and eleven grandchildren, and the family dynamics have always been complicated enough to fill several books.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
