Kai Trump on the Espys Red Carpet in a Shimmering Gold Gown: “I Kind Of Stay Out Of Politics Completely. It’s Just Not My Thing.”

Updated 2 weeks ago, August 14, 2026

Photo REUTERS/Jordan Tovin

Kai Trump is 19, headed to play golf at the University of Miami, and just walked one of the biggest red carpets in sports last night.

The ESPYs are ESPN’s annual awards show honoring the past year in sports, and Wednesday night’s ceremony brought Simone Biles, Steph and Ayesha Curry, Jalen Brunson, Mike Tyson, Kevin Hart and Tracy Morgan to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

Kai Trump in a gold sequin gown standing next to Jake Paul in a dark suit, posing together backstage at the 2026 ESPY Awards. — Kai Trump and Jake Paul pose together backstage at the 2026 ESPY Awards at Lincoln Center in New York City on July 15, 2026. Photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty Images.

The President’s 19-year-old granddaughter walked the carpet in a shimmering slinky gold gown she’d teased in an unboxing video days earlier, blurring the dress out and telling fans only that she was “in love” and had to FaceTime her mom.

Kai Trump in a gold sequined gown with a crystal neckline at the ESPY Awards red carpet, smiling in front of The ESPYs step-and-repeat backdrop. — At Lincoln Center in New York City on July 15, 2026, Kai Trump steps onto the red carpet for the 2026 ESPY Awards in a glittering gold gown featuring a crystal-trimmed neckline. Photo by Jordan Tovin / Reuters.

Talking to Sportico on the carpet, Kai drew a hard line around what she’ll and won’t discuss. “Honestly, I kind of stay out of politics completely. It’s just not my thing,” she said. “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.” She said the vlogs are for the next generation, to show her progress into college and how she got here.

Kai Trump on the red carpet at the 2026 ESPY Awards at Lincoln Center in New York City — At David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, Kai Trump walked the arrivals carpet for the 2026 ESPY Awards on July 15 in New York City. Photo by Mike Coppola / Getty Images.

The one political-adjacent moment she’d endorse was the UFC Freedom 250 fight card on the White House South Lawn last month, which she attended with UFC boss Dana White. “The UFC event was great,” she told Sportico, pointing to the veterans in the crowd and the America 250 framing.

Kai Trump hitting a tee shot on the 16th hole at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida — At Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, the 16th hole serves as the backdrop as Kai Trump plays a tee shot during preview rounds for the ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on November 12, 2025. Photo by Julio Aguilar / Getty Images.

Kai also told Page Six that her mom’s boyfriend, Tiger Woods, has been giving her the same golf advice he always does: “Be yourself, trust the process.” He wasn’t on the carpet with her.

Vanessa Trump announced her breast cancer diagnosis on Instagram in May, and posted a mid-June update that she’d spent four weeks recovering from surgery and would “soon” begin “the second stage” of treatment. On the carpet, Kai told Page Six, “My mom is doing good…She’s doing better.” Vanessa cheered from afar, commenting “That’s my girl” on Kai’s Instagram post from the night.

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