Kai Trump is getting a college experience few freshmen could ever imagine — complete with a spacious private apartment, Division I golf, Secret Service protection and a shopping trip that has stirred debate online.
The 19-year-old granddaughter of President Donald Trump began her freshman year at the University of Miami this fall, where she joined the Hurricanes women’s golf program for the 2026–27 season.
But glimpses of her life away from the golf course have attracted nearly as much attention as her athletic career.
Kai has opened up about her college routine through social media and YouTube, including giving followers a tour of the two-bedroom, two-bathroom Miami apartment where she lives alone rather than in a traditional freshman dorm.
The apartment includes a large kitchen, living area, fireplace, office, walk-in closet and personal photographs, including one showing Kai with her grandfather on a golf course.
Even Kai acknowledged that her living situation is far from typical.
“I’m very, very lucky to have this obviously as a freshman,” she said while showing viewers around the apartment.
That admission did little to stop criticism from some social-media users, who contrasted her accommodations with the cramped dorm rooms and rising living costs confronting many college students.
Others defended the arrangement, pointing to a major complication in Kai’s life that ordinary freshmen do not face: she receives Secret Service protection as a member of the president’s immediate family.
Kai has spoken publicly about agents accompanying her during her daily life, something that can make otherwise routine activities much more complicated.
Her spending also generated attention after she documented a recent trip to Sephora.
According to the video, Kai purchased 16 products totaling $531.79 after consulting with a makeup artist about achieving a more natural look.
The haul reportedly included products from upscale brands such as Dior, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, Hourglass and Summer Fridays.
Some viewers criticized the purchase as excessive for a college freshman, particularly at a time when many students are struggling with rent, groceries and tuition.
But judging Kai’s freshman year solely by her apartment and shopping habits leaves out another side of the story.
She is also attempting to balance college classes with the schedule of a Division I athlete.
The University of Miami lists Trump as a freshman on its women’s golf roster. Before college, she competed on several junior golf circuits and helped her high school program win four consecutive district team championships.
Miami entered the 2026–27 season ranked No. 21 nationally in Golf Channel’s preseason rankings.
Kai has said her college days can begin around 5 a.m. and are packed with workouts, classes, golf practices and other team responsibilities.
The schedule has apparently left little room for the stereotypical Miami college experience.
“I’m here for golf. I’m not here to party in Miami,” she has said.
She has also admitted that she has barely explored the city because so much of her time is devoted to school and golf.
Her first taste of collegiate competition showed just how significant the adjustment may be.
Kai made her college debut at the Golfweek Fall Challenge in South Carolina in September, opening with a 7-over-par 78 and finishing that round tied for 102nd in a field of 120 golfers.
Despite maintaining an apartment near school, she has said she frequently returns to her family home in the Jupiter area, roughly an hour and 20 minutes away.
“I’ve been at home every single weekend,” Kai said in a recent vlog.
She explained that after long days of workouts, golf and classes, returning home feels like a vacation.
The arrangement also allows her to remain close to trainers, golf equipment and coaches she worked with before starting college.
Kai’s unusually public freshman year illustrates the complicated position she occupies.
She is simultaneously a college student, Division I athlete, social-media personality and granddaughter of a sitting president.
That combination means everyday choices — from where she lives to what she buys at the mall — can quickly become national talking points.
The luxurious apartment and $531 beauty haul have inevitably fueled criticism about privilege. At the same time, Kai has never pretended that her circumstances are ordinary and has openly described herself as fortunate.
For now, she appears more concerned with succeeding on the golf course than experiencing Miami nightlife.
And despite the polished apartment tours and shopping videos seen online, Kai says much of her actual freshman year consists of something decidedly less glamorous: waking up early, practicing golf, attending class, working out and doing it all again the next day.
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good for her. Enjoy yourself. Make the best of your college years. What you do or buy is no one else’s business.