How Kai Trump is the family’s secret weapon… as she morphs into Ivanka in more ways than one

A new star is rising in the Trump family – and she may end up eclipsing Ivanka.

In recent months, it seems that Kai Trump, 19, is paving the way to become just as famous as aunt Ivanka Trump – as the budding star continues to build her own fan base among MAGA diehards and solidify herself as one of her grandpa’s favorites.

Gone are the days of Ivanka stealing the show as President Donald Trump’s right–hand woman, as Kai has made headlines while joining the 80–year–old on a number of public appearances this year. 

Not only did she join him for UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn at the weekend, but she also accompanied him to Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden earlier this month, the Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral in March and even the NCAA College Football National Championship in January.

In the past, it was Ivanka by Trump’s side for these kinds of events after becoming one of his closest confidantes when she served as Presidential Advisor during his first term in the White House.

But instead of staying put in Washington, DC, after her father’s first term, Ivanka and her family moved down to Miami, Florida, making the choice to step away from the political world.

‘I love policy and impact. I hate politics. And unfortunately, the two are not separable,’ Ivanka once said during a January 2025 appearance on the Bossticks podcast, adding that it’s a ‘very dark, negative business.’ Since then, she has overhauled her lifestyle and is now often seen enjoying time with friends, stepping out for charity events and even paddle–boarding on the beach.

And as Ivanka continues to enjoy a life of leisure, the Trump family could have a new secret weapon in Kai, according to public relations and image experts. 

‘[Kai] is building something that the Trump family really has never had, which is a genuine cultural reach with the younger generation,’ Aaron Evans, Founder and CEO of crisis communications and public relations firm Story Group, told the Daily Mail. 

‘She’s approaching this from a much more social influencer type of role than the business–first, seat at the West Wing table that Ivanka had and approached it with in the first term,’ Evans explained.

‘Ivanka was the family bridge to the boardroom, and Kai is the family bridge to Gen Z.’

Evans shared that Kai’s social media engagement with her fellow Gen Z age group is a ‘major expansion’ for the Trump family and their brand. 

It’s an ‘important role for the future’ that Kai is filling, he told the Daily Mail. ‘It’s also a very smart long game because cultural relevance with an 18–year–old audience is worth much more over twenty years than having one admin job.’

‘When the presidency is gone and forgotten in people’s day to day lives, having a massive influential following as a young upcoming influencer and evolving into the business brand is going to really pay off a lot more,’ he said. 

Indeed, Ivanka and Kai seem to have parallel similarities, each attracting a seriously large following. 

However, Kai seems to be the Gen Z version of Trump’s eldest daughter.

Both Ivanka and Kai have built followings on social media, having a very strong presence as they offer inside, intimate looks into their lives on both of their Instagram accounts.

Ivanka often posts glamorous photos of her expensive designer outfits, snaps with her family and kids as well as her luxurious travels – while Kai often does the same, sharing photos of her adventures with grandpa, solo shots of her life milestones like prom and with her friends.

The eldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr also gives her followers another way of getting to know her, as she often posts vlogs on her YouTube channel.  

The 19–year–old takes followers along in the behind–the–scenes of various White House events and even her everyday life as a high schooler in Florida for the past few years.

She vlogged Trump’s inauguration for his second term as President in 2025 and even documented her trip with him to the 2025 Ryder Cup, as they took a ride on Marine One to the big event.

In other videos, when she’s not showing off the glamorous life as the President’s granddaughter, she’s just like other teens.

The soon–to–be University of Miami freshman chronicled her senior prom, high school graduation and even going to her first music festival. 

‘Kai is actually taking a totally different approach that Ivanka never could, because the tools that Kai can use now are tools that were not available when Ivanka was getting started,’ Evans explained to the Daily Mail.

‘Ivanka took the traditional route because those were the tools she had available at the time. But Kai is building a following on her own platforms. She’s building her own voice,’ he said.

‘She’s telling it in her way and her style, around golf, around her actual life. And she’s already got a 7–figure NIL valuation and brand deals with TaylorMade and others before even starting college,’ the expert added of the future University of Miami golfer. 

Evans said that Kai is following in Ivanka’s footsteps due to the fact that she’s ‘monetizing the Trump name,’ but their approach and path is ‘totally different.’

‘Ivanka went corporate, and Kai went creator,’ he said.

The two also seem to be podcast fanatics as Ivanka has made a number of appearances over the past year on notable podcasts like Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett and The Bossticks, hosted by Dear Media founders Lauryn and Michael Bosstick. 

Ivanka particularly became overwhelmed with emotion when she spoke on Diary of a CEO, breaking down in tears over her mom Ivana’s tragic death in July 2022. 

Kai has followed in her footsteps, opening up to Logan Paul during an appearance of his show, titled Impaulsive, about how she really feels about having her own Secret Service detail and growing up in the spotlight.

‘For both women, all of the podcasts and consistent content posting boils down to being visible. And being visible is their job,’ Sarah Schmidt, President at Interdependence Public Relations, told the Daily Mail.

‘Every piece of content, every appearance, means more audience and more reach. Ultimately, that is what brands pay for,’ she said. 

Kai is also coming into her own as an entrepreneur. She launched her own zero–sugar energy drink in collaboration with Accelerator Active Energy in early June, which sold out as soon as it dropped. 

Kai is the latest famous face to partner with Travis Kelce’s co–owned brand Accelerator Active Energy and follows in the footsteps of model Livvy Dunne. 

It’s reminiscent of Ivanka, who started her own business, Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, at age 26 in 2007 and has been a close confidante of her father’s, serving as his advisor during his first term. 

She later ventured into launching her own lifestyle brand in 2010. One of the most popular parts of her brand was her line of shoes, which were trendy and affordable. 

Unfortunately, Ivanka had to shutter the brand in 2018, shortly after her Dad won the presidency.

‘[Kai] launched a signature energy drink that sold out on Amazon in two hours and posted a fifteen–minute video walking through how she made it,’ Evans told the Daily Mail.

‘That’s not a media strategy of a politician. That’s an influencer’s play,’ he continued.

‘It’s Ivanka’s instinct and PR finesse, talking directly to the people and skipping the filter, but Kai is doing it on platforms that Ivanka never actually had the opportunity to at the same stage in her career because it is a different era with different tools.’

But what’s important to consider here too is that they lead with their lifestyle, not politics. 

‘They allow their name to do the heavy lifting and build something likable on top of it,’ Evans said.

‘And that’s a very smart PR strategy. I don’t believe that’s by accident,’ he shared.

On top of it all, Kai has even undergone what’s been labeled as a ‘MAGA makeover’ this summer. 

The 19–year–old recently stepped out with brand new, layered ‘Palm Beach blonde’ hair as she joined her grandpa for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden this month. 

The ‘honey blonde’ color has become a favorite of the MAGA elite and is now something of a signature shade for those closest to the president – like Karoline Leavitt, Erika Kirk and Melania Trump.

Celebrity hair stylist Angela Haight recently told the Huffington Post: ‘It’s a luxury hair color… and it’s expensive. That can almost be perceived as a status symbol to a degree.’ 

And Kai even subtly matched Ivanka during the UFC Freedom 250, both wearing black cocktail dresses, though the 19–year–old’s was bedazzled with silver detailing.

However, the experts maintain that Kai is not at all ‘replacing’ Ivanka but instead, she’s ‘filling the space’ that the former Presidential Advisor has left behind.  

‘It was a natural generational handoff. Ivanka is the Millennial who went into politics, and Kai is the Gen Z woman who came out of it,’ Schmidt told the Daily Mail.

‘The Trump family knows that their name has value. It can get you in the door, but what you do with it after that is what truly matters. And each of these women is on her own path,’ she said.