Last week Kai Trump, Donald Trump Jr’s daughter and the president’s eldest grandchild, publicly declared she had no plans to run for office. The 18-year-old appeared on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, where she stated that “politics is such a dangerous thing … I think if both sides met in the middle, everyone would be so much more happier.” (Maybe tell that to your grandpa, kid.) “To be honest with you,” she said, “I stay out of politics completely … I don’t want anything to do with politics.”
Look, I know you’re still very young, Kai, so here’s a little advice from an old lady: maybe work just a teeny bit harder at keeping a safe distance from politics. It has not gone unobserved that the influencer and golfer has made a lot of content about life behind the scenes at the White House. She’s also launched an apparel collection, which she’s modelled on the White House lawn. And, notably, she spoke at the 2024 Republican national convention (RNC), where she insisted Trump was “just a normal grandpa”. I don’t know about that; my grandad didn’t invade Venezuela.
Kai, by the way, stressed to Logan Paul that she was the one who decided to speak at the RNC; it was “literally all my idea”. But the nasty media, she noted, spun it otherwise. “[They said] ‘Oh well, that’s like a political plan that was put in place, to like get more voters or anything like that’.” Well, yes, because it was a political convention. They tend to be, you know, political.
Still, even though Kai is counting herself out, there’s a good chance we may see another President Trump in our lifetimes. After all, he has five kids and 11 grandchildren. Surely at least one will follow in Donny’s footsteps?
The question is: who has the best chance of continuing the political dynasty? At one point I’d have said it was Ivanka. But while I haven’t written off the idea of a political comeback for her, she’s currently sworn off politics and is hanging out in Florida doing billionaire things, while her husband, Jared Kushner, makes plans to redevelop a “cleansed” Gaza.
The rest of the Trumps are, sadly, certified losers or too young to opine upon. Barron, you dark horse, I think if I had to wager who’ll be the next President Trump, my money is on you.
• Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
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