Don Jr.'s Comment To Daughter Kai Before RNC Speech Is Beyond Inappropriate
The Trump family dynamic sometimes appears heartbreaking, but the Republican National Convention proved they're willing to bond behind their patriarch. Donald Trump's oldest granddaughter, Kai Trump, gave a heartfelt speech on the third night of the Republican National Convention. The 17-year-old daughter of Donald Trump, Jr. stepped up to remind the crowd that the man on the GOP ballot is also "a normal grandpa" (via USA Today) who joins her for golf games and sneaks candy to her and her siblings. Speaking of Trump's courage following the assassination attempt, Kai raved, "A lot of people have put my grandpa through hell, and he's still standing." But while she was poised and professional, the same can't necessarily be said of her father.
Shortly before the event began, Don Jr. posted a TikTok of himself and Kai backstage in makeup. "Kai, what do you think?" he asked. "Getting makeup, make me look sexy like you?" After Kai complimented him, Don Jr. laughed, "Thank you, Kai. I'm glad you think I look very beautiful."
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It was meant to be a lighthearted moment, but seeing the former first son calling his teen daughter "sexy" gave thousands of followers some serious ick. "Pls don't call your own daughter sexy...cringe" was a representative reaction. Another thought Don Jr. could have chosen his vocabulary more carefully: "What happened to beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, pretty???" One follower noted, "Let's not forget that he had the opportunity to review this before posting it."
The Donalds have a history of cringey compliments
The phrase "Like father, like son" is often used as a compliment, but in the case of Donald Trump, Sr. and Jr., that's not always the case. The younger Trump's use of the word "sexy" to describe his daughter Kai Trump was creepily reminiscent of all the times his father has said inappropriate things about his sister Ivanka Trump. The former president has referred to Ivanka as "a great beauty" almost as many times as he has commented on the height of his youngest son, Barron Trump, and he's also called her "hot" and "very voluptuous," with "the best body" (via The Independent).
During a 2003 interview with Howard Stern, Trump gave his consent for the host to call Ivanka "a piece of a**" (via Politico). Three years later, on "The View," (per Today), the then-"Apprentice" host suggested he might be okay with his daughter posing for Playboy. Trump proceeded to give his most famous hold-my-beer quote: "I've said if Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her." Though he quickly added the comment was "terrible," not everyone saw it as a joke.
Don Jr.'s remark to Kai seems to have been a one-time slip, and his fans hope it stays that way. Some even defended the comment as a silly family ribbing. "My family has weird things we say to each other as jokes," said a TikTok follower. "I would assume it's the same with them. [Kai] seems stable and happy."