Kai Trump recalls ‘a lot of crying’ with Vanessa before college move amid mom's cancer battle
MIAMI, FLORIDA: Kai Trump is opening up about the emotional moments she shared with her mother, Vanessa Trump, before leaving home for college amid Vanessa's breast cancer treatment.
The 19-year-old granddaughter of President Donald Trump spoke to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, August 18, from the University of Miami, where she has now started her freshman year.
Kai Trump and Vanessa Trump shared emotional days before college
“There was definitely, there was a lot of crying in like the week leading up,” Kai Trump said. “We would just be driving, and then we'd just start crying together.”
Vanessa Trump revealed in May that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was working with her medical team on a treatment plan.
In June, she said she was recovering from surgery and preparing to begin the second stage of her treatment.
Kai said her mother is now doing better, though the treatment had been difficult at first. “My mom, she's doing a lot better,” she said. “Kind of after treatment, she wasn't feeling very good. Just like how treatment will make you feel … but she's getting a lot better now.”
For Kai, the difficult period also created more time with her mother during a summer that could otherwise have been dominated by golf.
Kai Trump calls extra time with Vanessa Trump a ‘blessing in disguise’
As a competitive golfer, Kai said she would normally have spent more of those summer hours on the golf course.
Instead, her mother's diagnosis allowed them to be together more often. She described that time as a “blessing in disguise.”
“I was able to spend extra time with her that I would normally probably spend on the golf course,” Kai said. “It was nice to spend those extra hours with her throughout the day before going to college.”
The move to college has also been easier because Kai knows Vanessa is still close by. She said that reassurance has helped as she begins a new chapter at the University of Miami.
“I know if I called her at a random time she would be here in a heartbeat,” Kai said. “So it's very sweet, but I'm looking forward to the next chapter. And yeah, I mean, she's very excited for me as well.”
Kai Trump settles into University of Miami life
Despite being only a few days into the semester when she spoke with Fox News Digital, Kai was already getting a feel for college life.
She singled out her marketing class and said her golf team had quickly become one of the best parts of her experience.
“My marketing teacher was super cool, so I'm excited for that class,” she said. She added that being able to practice, eat and spend time with her teammates had made the transition enjoyable.
“The best part of the past two days is pretty much just having a team, being able to hang out with your team and golf together, practice together, get food together. So it's been really nice.”
Kai was also pleased with her first practice and sounded confident about the season ahead. “Our team's gonna be really good,” she said. “… I'm looking forward to it.”
Kai Trump says she is getting used to being recognized on campus
“I've definitely had a lot of people recognize me so far, but it's part of the name and that's what comes with it,” Kai said.
She also said she tries to live like a normal college student despite the attention, adding that she has already started getting used to people recognizing her.
As for whether her grandfather, Donald Trump, could show up at one of her golf tournaments, Kai is leaving that possibility open.
“Who knows, maybe grandpa will come by if he has some time,” she said. “He's quite busy, but we'll see.”
