Kai Trump attended the ESPYs on July 15, and the look that she chose for the event is getting a lot of attention online. Kai, 19, shared a video that highlighted her outfit — a sparkly gold gown — on Instagram, where her followers mostly praised her for looking stunning.
But outside of her personal page, people’s reactions were very different. People saw her red carpet look as evidence that she truly is following in her grandfather’s footsteps.
More specifically, critics accused her of borrowing President Donald Trump’s makeup.
They thought she looked rather… orange at the annual sports awards. The president’s orange-looking complexion kind of seems like his thing at this point, and people immediately noticed that Kai’s look seemed very much inspired by her grandfather’s signature hue.
“She’s got grandpa’s tan, that’s for sure!” one person wrote on X. Others joked that she must have used her grandpa’s makeup when getting ready for the event. “Did grandpa help her with her bronzer?” someone else asked.
Meanwhile, another person wrote that it looked like Kai had been “playing in her grandpas makeup & went crazy w the apricot bronzer.”
“Dear God, the whole family is orange,” one commenter concluded.
Her dress also seemed inspired by her grandfather, in a way.
Using the same tan salon as Gramps https://t.co/NNR6rcjVXo
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) July 16, 2026
Or maybe they just have similar taste. Donald, of course, has been decking out the White House in flashy gold decor. Kai’s gold dress gave off the same vibe. “What’s with this corrupt family and gold?” someone questioned after seeing Kai’s dress.
All in all, people saw it as a pretty standard look for those within Trump’s circle. “She got the mar a largo starter pack with that bad spray tan and veneers,” another person concluded.
To be fair, not all of the comments that drew similarities between Kai and her grandpa were negative. “Gorgeous!” one commenter said. “Her Granddad’s favorite color too!”
Several commenters also defended Kai after numerous people left mean-spirited comments. “These comments are vile about a young woman,” someone argued. “People should be ashamed of themselves.”
Kai’s red carpet appearance also exacerbated the rumors that she’s taking Ivanka’s place.
My god, she’s 19 years old and already has the full blown Mar-a-Lago look 💀 #tragic https://t.co/bAxbe5i4OM
— 💞 🤖 (@tiredasslesbian) July 16, 2026
Ivanka is no longer directly involved in politics, and Kai has been accompanying her grandpa to a lot of events lately. On YouTube, she’s given her followers behind-the-scenes looks at her grandpa’s Fourth of July festivities and UFC Freedom 250.
People have noticed that she seems to be playing an important role in the president’s life right now. She has said a lot of positive things about him and is convinced that anyone who spent 30 minutes with him would “fall in love” with him because of his sense of humor.
Comments like these and her presence at the president’s events, now combined with her Donald-inspired ESPYs look, have basically convinced people that Kai is trying to “replace Ivanka” as the president’s favorite relative.
At the same time, Kai has said that she’s not interested in being directly involved in politics, either. She has said she’d prefer to focus on golf and her social media presence. She reiterated these preferences at the ESPYs.
“Honestly, I kind of stay out of politics completely,” she said. “It’s just not my thing. I just like showing my life and showing how you can still be an athlete and you can still do a ton of other things and enjoy a ton of other things.”
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