From Kai Madison to Don Jr: Who’s who in the Trump clan

“The whole squad,” posted Kai Trump, the president-elect’s eldest granddaughter, as she shared a family photo on social media celebrating Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election. The image featured the president’s five children with their respective spouses, along with five of his 10 grandchildren. Notably absent was Melania Trump. Instead, Elon Musk appeared in the photo, holding his son, who is called X like Musk’s rebranding of Twitter.

As the expansive Trump family prepares for the patriarch’s return to the White House, it seems likely that the 47th president will spend much of his time alone in the East Wing of the world’s most famous presidential residence. This time, the family — now with the addition of “Uncle Elon” — will focus on members that did not have a starring role in Trump’s first term, although there will be the same mix of business and politics.

For starters, no one knows how long Melania Trump will be living in the White House. There is speculation that the incoming First Lady will not reside in Washington full-time, but rather divide her time between Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City, where her 18-year-old son Barron has started college. Unlike during the first term, when Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, dominated the spotlight, the political torch now appears to have passed to Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump. Tiffany Trump, the president’s fourth child, remains largely out of the political arena. Meanwhile, emerging as a new face of the dynasty’s charisma is Kai Madison Trump, the 17-year-old eldest granddaughter, who is very active on social media.

Kai Trump, the daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and his former wife Vanessa Trump — a model whom he divorced in 2018 — made her memorable debut on the third night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July. Portraying the human side of her grandfather, then the Republican candidate, she charmed the audience with personal anecdotes. “To me, he’s just a normal grandpa. He gives us candy and soda when our parents aren’t looking. He always wants to know how we’re doing in school,” she said. “The media makes my grandpa seem like a different person, but I know him for who he is. He’s very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country, and he will fight every single day to make America great again.” Her grandfather was beside himself with pride when he heard her utter the quintessential Trumpist slogan.

Kai’s father, Donald Trump Jr., 46, has emerged as the family’s most prominent activist for his father’s political cause. His strong bond with the former president is credited for the rise of J.D. Vance, who was selected as the Republican vice-presidential candidate. Don Trump, as he is also known, delivered a fiery speech at the Republican National Convention; he was also a ubiquitous presence at Republican rallies, and become one of the most staunch defenders of Trumpism.

Don Jr. mocks rivals within the party (such as Nikki Haley) and outside it (such as Kamala Harris). And he has also become a vocal warrior in the American right’s cultural battles, from spreading transphobic rhetoric to harshly criticizing the mainstream media, whether on social media — where he pushes the Trumpist agenda — or on his podcast. Recently, he proposed to his father that “independent” (Trump-friendly) communicators should replace outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post in the White House press room.

Although deeply involved in his father’s cause, Don Jr. continues to manage several business ventures within conservative circles and is not expected to take an official position in the administration. Instead, Sergio Gor, one of his business partners, has been named as the incoming White House chief of staff. Donald Trump Jr. has five children with his first wife, Vanessa Trump. His current partner is Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor and Fox News presenter.

Another key figure in the Trump family with significant political prominence is Lara Trump, 42, daughter-in-law of the president-elect and wife of Eric Trump, 40. A former television personality, Lara was appointed co-chair of the Republican National Committee in March, to cement the family’s influence over the party machinery and prioritized Donald Trump’s re-election as a top agenda item. She was among the speakers at the January 6, 2021, rally preceding the assault on the Capitol, appearing alongside her father-in-law, her brother-in-law Don Jr., and her husband, Eric Trump. Eric, meanwhile, has thrown himself into managing the family’s business empire, the Trump Organization. Together, Eric and Lara have two children.

Ivanka Trump, 43, and her husband Jared Kushner, also 43, have shifted their focus to business and celebrity endeavors. During Trump’s first term, the couple took on a more active role, serving as senior advisers to the president. The two became Trump’s closest confidants. They accompanied him on numerous trips and summits and handled significant foreign policy assignments. Their dual role as White House officials and private businesspeople frequently sparked controversy, as their wealth and influence grew.

However, Ivanka Trump has since distanced herself from politics and the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. When Donald Trump announced his 2022 presidential campaign, she chose to stay on the sidelines: “This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics,” she said in a statement.

Jared Kushner founded a venture capital firm with backing from a Saudi sovereign wealth fund, and the couple has settled in Indian Creek, an exclusive Miami enclave known as the “billionaires’ bunker,” with their three children. On Saturday, Donald Trump announced that Jared’s father, Charles Kushner, would be the next U.S. ambassador to France. Charles Kushner had previously received a presidential pardon during Trump’s first term for crimes to which he pleaded guilty.

Meanwhile, Tiffany Trump, Donald’s fourth child and the only daughter from his marriage to Marla Maples, has remained largely out of the spotlight. Named after the iconic jewelry store near Trump Tower, Tiffany married Michael Boulos, a wealthy businessman of Lebanese descent, in a lavish ceremony at Mar-a-Lago two years ago. The couple, who met in 2018 while vacationing in Greece with actress Lindsay Lohan, are now expecting their first child, who will be Donald Trump’s 11th grandchild and the first born during his new term.

When Donald Trump took office in 2017, his youngest child, Barron, was just 10 years old. Barron — Trump and Melania’s only child together — and his mother initially remained in New York until the end of the school year before moving into the White House. Now 18, Barron has begun his studies at New York University’s Stern School of Business, where his towering 6-foot-10 frame, coupled with a visible security detail, makes it difficult for him to blend in on campus. Barron appeared in the front row at his father’s rally in Doral, Florida, in July and attended the Republican convention in Milwaukee, but his mother has kept him out on the sidelines. Like his older brothers, Barron has shown an interest in the world of cryptocurrencies.

This Thanksgiving, Donald Trump hosted a family dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club, with Barron seated to his left, between him and Melania. To Trump’s right sat Elon Musk, who, though not a family member, has grown increasingly close to the Trumps. Following the election, Kai Trump, Trump’s eldest granddaughter, tweeted a photo of herself with Musk at one of Trump’s golf clubs and captioned it succinctly: “Elon achieves uncle status.”

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