THE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESSURE-COOKER IN WHICH OUR CHILDREN LIVE

KENNEDY: My urgent warning to 17-year-old Kai Trump, who I fear is suddenly in danger

 

By Kennedy 

Daily Mail

Nov 27, 2024

Kai Trump, granddaughter to the President-elect, is taking the longest victory lap after Papa Don's electoral gut punch to liberal America.

 

It's hard to doom-scroll these days without spotting a soft-focus snap of the latest greatest Trump progeny living their best life.

But Kai Trump, granddaughter to the President-elect, must be taking the longest victory lap of them all after Papa Don's electoral gut punch to liberal America.

Kai is blissfully 17 years old and, like nearly every other pigtailed teen, she's flexing, has rizz and drip and is chasing clicks and clout (I have no idea what I just wrote, but she does).

On Tuesday, the daughter of Don Jr. and his ex-wife Vanessa posted a YouTube video from on-board gramps's jet to Texas where she and an identikit pal (in matching Skims) marveled at 'Uncle' Elon's latest rocket launch.

Before that, she was video-blogging scenes from Election night, including from inside her bedroom as she selected an outfit.

Or posting from the golf course. Or performing the latest TikTok dance. Or posing in a sparkly mini-skirt by a butt-ugly Tesla Cybertruck.

When Kai burst onto the scene at the Republican National Convention in July, introducing 'grandpa' in an adorable on-stage speech, I couldn't get enough.

Now I'm begging her to strap her bedazzled iPhone to Musk's next exploding rocket. Because she needs to get off social media – stat.

 

When Kai burst onto the scene at the Republican National Convention in July, introducing 'grandpa' in an adorable on-stage speech, I couldn't get enough.

 

For an adult, Kai's life would be as dangerously intoxicating as a half dozen Mar-a-Lago spritzers. For an underage and impressionable girl, it's massively concerning.

This may sound old-fashioned but hear me out: I have two teenage daughters and I'm well aware of the social media pressure-cooker in which our children live.

Even for my non-famous girls, I constantly worry about the impact of Chinese algorithms and the nasty comments of faceless critics. Imagine what Kai is opening herself up to.

Millions of people have now had a peep at her bedsheets! And many of those millions are surely waiting to pounce on the slightest scent of a mistake.

In that Election night vlog, she shared footage of herself driving – at times taking both hands off the wheel. Will that age as well as step-granny Melania?

There's another Trump wunderkind who has invited similar levels of fascination to Kai: her real uncle, Barron.

Remember when Rosie O'Donnell ('O' for Ozempic) vilely suggested that a 10-year-old Barron was autistic?

At 14 months Kai's senior, Barron has been subject to a mockable amount of helicopter parenting from mom Melania who still looms over the 6'9" NYU freshman. But the Slovenian Hoverer is on to something.

 

Now I'm begging her to strap her bedazzled iPhone to Musk's next exploding rocket. Because she needs to get off social media. She's been video-blogging scenes from Election night, including from inside her bedroom (picture as she selected an outfit.

 

It's not just that he doesn't have a social media presence, America still hardly knows a thing about Barron – and that's for the best. Melania's stilettoed secrecy has given her only son the space to grow up, to make mistakes without turning every teenage tantrum into an international event.

Kai should also take notes from her classy, It Girl predecessor, Aunty Ivanka.

A mom in her own right, Ivanka packed her sharp suits, sharper tresses and family off to Washington to join her dad's first administration.

Boy was that a mistake! Even though she undoubtedly worked hard, she was branded a nepo-brat and ostracized from every celebrity invite list from LA to NYC and DC.

She has since divorced herself from the swamp and fled to Miami in a desperate four-year bid to reboot her life and her contact book.

No amount of proximity to power is worth it when your besties won't return a text. Thanks for nothing, Kim K!

Kai's dad Don Jr. has always been even more of a loudmouth lightning rod than his own father. And his trouty-pouty fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle isn't exactly known for being low maintenance.

In this two-tier system of Trumps, Kai would be best served to take the lower profile, set the Insta to private and deep-six the TikTok. As dazzling as the spotlight can be, its red-hot glare is not worth the burns that can irreparably harm a young woman in her irreplaceable formative years.