Starting college can be rough for just about anyone, and apparently having the last name Trump does not magically make freshman year come with an instruction manual.
President Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Trump, recently began college at the University of Miami, and she has been surprisingly candid about the emotional adjustment that comes with leaving home, saying goodbye to family and suddenly finding herself responsible for navigating a completely different daily routine.
Kai, the daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump, documented the transition in a YouTube vlog showing her final days at home and the beginning of college life.
The young golfer became emotional while sitting behind the wheel as she prepared to leave her family.
“I’m not a very emotional person at all, so this is like really weird for me to cry,” Kai said, explaining that she has “only cried a few times” in her life.
She continued, “I think knowing that I have to say goodbye to everyone tonight really, really sucks. I’m struggling right now, just thinking about it.”
That is probably a feeling millions of parents and college students understand.
Political families are frequently portrayed as if their lives exist entirely inside television screens and social media feeds. But strip away the famous grandfather, security concerns and cameras, and this is basically an 18-year-old experiencing the same uncomfortable milestone countless American teenagers face every fall.
The good news is that Kai also expressed excitement about beginning the “next chapter” of her life. She reportedly remains only about an hour and a half away from her family, which is certainly better than moving across the country.
Still, the adjustment apparently has not been entirely smooth.
Kai said she did not film much during her first day because she was too “sad” after saying goodbye to her family. Her first week also included a packed schedule involving golf practice, athletic meetings and classes.
Then came perhaps the most stereotypically college-student development imaginable: figuring out food.
During the vlog, Kai’s friend Emma reportedly visited her apartment carrying frozen food after Kai claimed that she “hadn’t eaten in three days.”
Somewhere, mothers across America just collectively asked, “You haven’t eaten WHAT?”
It is worth remembering that Kai is also balancing college with serious athletic ambitions. She has developed a public profile as a golfer and has spoken about aspirations involving the professional game. College athletics alone can create a demanding schedule, never mind classes, public attention and being a member of one of the most recognizable political families in America.
There is also something refreshing about seeing a member of the Trump family show a vulnerable, ordinary side of life.
The Trump name guarantees attention, and usually plenty of hostility along with it. Kai could have presented an artificially perfect version of college life filled with smiling photographs and carefully edited highlight reels. Instead, she admitted that leaving home hurt.
That is not weakness. It is called loving your family.
For all the cultural noise telling young Americans that adulthood means immediately becoming completely independent and emotionally detached, there is nothing embarrassing about an 18-year-old missing her parents, siblings, grandparents and friends.
College is supposed to be a transition. Kai is experiencing exactly that, tears, hectic schedules, golf practice, classes, frozen dinners and all.
Give her a few weeks. The homesickness will probably ease up.
And somebody please make sure the girl eats.
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