Kai Trump, the 18-year-old granddaughter of President Donald Trump, is facing criticism online after posting a YouTube vlog titled “I Brought My Secret Service To Erewhon.”
In the video, she shops at the upscale Los Angeles grocery chain while accompanied by Secret Service agents.
The clip quickly spread on social media, where critics accused her of flaunting taxpayer-funded security during a luxury grocery run.
Critics question Secret Service presence in Erewhon vlog
Erewhon operates 11 locations in Los Angeles and ships products internationally, including to Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The store’s name referenced the 1872 satirical novel Erewhon by Samuel Butler, which imagined a society obsessed with personal health that saw being unhealthy as a moral failing (sound familiar?).
Soon after the vlog circulated, critics across social media mocked the premise and questioned the cost of the security detail.
Political strategist Mike Nellis posted on X, "That Kai Trump YouTube video is one of the most embarrassing self-owns I have ever seen. Her grandfather is crushing the economy and launching illegal wars, and she’s bragging about taking her Secret Service to an expensive grocery store. Just a modern-day 'let them eat cake' moment."
Meanwhile, @mattxiv shared a screenshot from the video and wrote, "it genuinely sometimes feels like they are trying to usher in a french revolution."
"The President's granddaughter is allowed to live her life with adequate protection but I think titling your vlog 'I brought my Secret Service to Erewhon' and highlighting how you're rolling around California with a seven vehicle (3 motorcycles, 4 SUVs) motorcade is…a misfire," wrote @dougblandry.
@emkenobi focused on the use of taxpayer funds, complaining in a tweet that garnered nearly 50,000 likes: "Our tax dollars are going towards her bringing secret service agents to vlog at Erewhon buying overpriced groceries. Meanwhile her pedo grandpa is raising prices so people can’t homes, groceries, and now gas. We’re living in the hunger games."
Additionally, video game streamer ConnorEatsPants responded directly to Kai with the short message, "join the draft."
Reddit users debate why Kai Trump is in the spotlight now
Over on Reddit, commenters moved from criticism to broader questions about presidential family security.
Redditor u/GeneralOrgana1 asked, "Genuine question: Why does the President's granddaughter have Secret Service protection??"
Another commenter, u/Analog_Nomad_56, answered that such protection is "standard."
Other Redditors focused on Kai herself. One commenter joked, "The Koala evolved a completely smooth brain because it needs to devote so much energy to digesting eucalyptus leaves. The Trumps are the result of a similar phenomenon, but with Big Macs."
Another commenter suggested Kai’s growing online presence was intentional.
"I feel like she’s been popping up all over in the past couple of weeks," wrote u/SnooSongs1160. They added that they suspected the family was using her influencer activity to normalize current politics.
Another person questioned her athletic credentials. "Wait till you [hear] shes going to univerisity of miami on a full golf [scholarship]," wrote u/pretibigtoo. "Buuuuut, shes only played in one tournament and came in last out of like 400."
Some commenters also noted where the vlog took place. "I also love how his family tells everyone that blue states and cities are hellholes but then live in checks notes famously blue and hellish Los Angeles," wrote u/CatPet051889.
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