Tragic Details We Know About Donald Trump's Granddaughter Kai Trump

Kai Trump, the eldest of Former President Donald Trump's 10 grandchildren, might appear to live a fairytale life, but she has had to contend with several unfortunate events since her grandfather first made The White House his temporary home. Kai burst into the spotlight when she delivered a rousing speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention. The event took place shortly after Donald's attempted assassination, and apparently, Kai was eager to tell her fellow Americans who her beloved grandad is behind the scenes.

Kai is growing up fast — it seems like only yesterday she was the 10-year-old navigating her parents' very public divorce. Tension in the Trump household was likely high since Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump had both cheated on each other during their marriage, with sources revealing to Us Weekly that Don Jr. started his affair with "Celebrity Apprentice" star Aubrey O'Day in 2011 and only broke things off in March 2012 after Vanessa found out. There were also rumors that Vanessa had an extramarital relationship of her own with a Secret Service agent, which may or may not have continued outside of the White House.

Young Kai likely didn't read the newspaper headlines about her parents' divorce back in 2018 (we hope), but it still brought about a big change in the lives of her and her four siblings. Unfortunately, this was just the first of many tragedies that Kai's family encountered over the years many of which, somewhat surprisingly, occurred after her grandfather vacated 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

When Donald Trump survived an attempted assassination on July 13, 2024, Kai Trump was one of the last people to find out. Speaking to Fox News, the youngster recalled that she was spending the day with some friends out on a boat and not checking her phone. By the time she did, Kai discovered multiple messages from people expressing their condolences and support, but she had no idea what they were talking about. 

"After 10 minutes in, we finally realized what was going on, and it was very heartbreaking," Kai acknowledged. Her grandfather's reaction after the bullet grazed his ear, however, made Kai incredibly proud. "I've never seen something like it," she said. "I thought it was so amazing and so strong, and you can't fake that moment at all. That means he truly cares, and he's fighting for America."

Kai took to Instagram after the incident to re-post the now-famous snap of Donald Trump pumping his fist in the air with blood running over his face. She captioned it: "We love you Grandpa. Never stop fighting!"

Kai Trump obviously knows a side of Donald Trump that the public don't often get to see, and during her Fox News interview, she discussed how challenging it is to read what the press writes about him, admitting that she often doesn't recognize the man they present. "He's just to me a normal grandpa," Kai reasoned. "He gives us whatever we want, he's always looking out for us, he's always wanting to know how we're doing, so it's frustrating when you see people [portraying] him as an image that he's not. It's hard seeing that."

In her short RNC speech, Kai also spoke of Donald spoiling his grandchildren, challenging her at golf, calling her at school to ask how she's doing, and always encouraging her to do her best. Before her father introduced Kai to the audience, he revealed that she had called him up after the assassination attempt to ask if she could say a few words at the event to give people a glimpse of Donald as the grandfather she knows and loves. 

Naturally, the speech was a major crowd pleaser. Aside from addressing the press's harsh portrayal of her grandfather, as she and her extended family sees it, Kai also touched on Donald Trump's legal woes, pointing out that it was a difficult and frightening time for them. "It was sad seeing that because it was all just made-up stuff," she argued to Fox News.

It goes without saying that, while the Republican camp thought Kai Trump's speech was campaign gold, those who aren't fans of her extended family had their suspicions that young Kai was being used as a political pawn to further her grandfather's career. While many thought it, Whoopi Goldberg, who's known for her own controversial moments, was the one who said it out loud during an episode of "The View," accusing Donald Trump of using Kai to make him seem more appealing to Americans by portraying the divisive politician as a doting grandfather.

"I know his grandchild was up on the thing and they're trying to humanize [Trump] and change your idea about who this guy is. Don't fall for that," Goldberg warned viewers (via the Daily Beast). Criticism also abounded on social media after Kai's speech aired. "Even the minor children are liars and part of the family grift," one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, commented on a video of Kai's speech. "Reading those memories right off the teleprompter," added another. "This girl doesn't realize that Trump is using her. Her successes are viewed as HIS accomplishments by him. If you are smart it is only because HE is smart. Be careful," a third user cautioned. 

"She's lying. Trump is a psychopath. He's incapable of those things. Stop helping him destroy everything," wrote another. Apparently, the campaign was attempting to make its presidential candidate appear somewhat tamer after the assassination attempt, and many people close to Donald claimed to Politico that he was a completely different person after the horrifying event. Kai's speech at the RNC seemed a way to further this new image, but the former president naturally soon fell back into his old ways regardless.