As global affairs are unstable due to war among the United States, Israel and Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump's granddaughter Kai Trump is under fire after posting a video on her YouTube channel of shopping at an ultra-expensive market.
Kai Trump is the daughter of Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son. Born in 2007, she is active as a golfer and influencer. Her YouTube subscribers number about 1.45 million, and her Instagram followers about 2.7 million.
On the 10th (local time), U.S. outlets including Fox News and USA Today reported that Kai Trump is facing a wave of criticism from Americans over a video of her shopping at Erewhon, a high-end U.S. market.
The contentious video was one Kai Trump posted on YouTube on the 8th titled "I came to Erewhon with bodyguards." It showed her grocery shopping at the store. The title was later changed to "I tried the most expensive grocery store in the world."
After shopping, Kai Trump reviewed the items in what appeared to be a hotel room. She said, "I spent $233 (about 340,000 won) today," and noted, "Everything was insanely expensive." In the video, when a clerk told her a hoodie in the store was $165 (about 240,000 won), she backed away and said, "At this rate I'll go bankrupt. I might even have to file for bankruptcy." She bought and tasted the "Hailey Bieber smoothie," which went viral online, for $21 (about 30,000 won), and a lemonade for $10 (about 15,000 won), adding, "Oh my," in satisfaction.
The video Kai Trump posted drew attention, recording more than about 170,000 views in a single day. But local media said most of the reaction was negative. With tensions high in the Middle East after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, the dominant view was that it was "tone-deaf content." Some American users, noting that Kai Trump is now 18 and eligible to enlist, left comments telling her to "enlist voluntarily."
Democrat Mike Nellis referenced the video on his social media (SNS) on the 9th, calling it "a modern 'let them eat cake' moment." The official account of the Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump lawmakers and party members within the Republican Party, also posted a critique saying, "Your children may be drafted to fight in Iran, while the Trump family will buy premium organic gluten-free cake with your tax dollars."
Coincidentally, just hours after Kai Trump's video went public, her grandfather, President Trump, further fueled criticism by posting on the social media platform Truth Social that "people who can't even afford basic necessities are fools." The remark pushed back against claims that some are struggling to buy essentials due to a surge in oil prices from the war with Iran.
In the same post, President Trump said, "The short-term oil prices, which will drop sharply once the Iranian nuclear threat disappears, are just a very small price to pay for the safety and peace of the United States and the world."