Kai Trump, the daughter of Vanessa Trump and Donald Trump Jr., is opening up about the emotional challenges of beginning her freshman year at the University of Miami.
The 18-year-old shared a glimpse into her final days at home in Jupiter, Florida, before making the move to Miami in a new YouTube vlog posted over the weekend.
In the video, the aspiring professional golfer became emotional as she sat behind the wheel and prepared to leave her family and loved ones behind, admitting that the transition to college has been difficult for her.
The 18-year-old admitted to viewers that she was “really struggling” with the emotional transition.
“I’m not a very emotional person at all, so this is like really weird for me to cry,” Kai explained, adding that she has “only cried a few times” in her life.
“I think knowing that I have to say goodbye to everyone tonight really, really sucks,” President Donald Trump’s granddaughter continued. “I’m struggling right now, just thinking about it.”
Despite the difficult goodbyes, Kai said she was also looking forward to the “next chapter” of her life. The University of Miami will keep her relatively close to home, with her family only about an hour and a half away.
“I think knowing that I have to say goodbye to everyone tonight really, really sucks,” the 18-year-old admitted.
Still, Kai acknowledged that leaving home is a normal part of growing up.
“I’m moving on. … It happens to everyone. It’s time to move on,” she told viewers.
Kai chose not to record her emotional farewells with friends and family, explaining that she wanted to stay in the moment with her loved ones.
“It was just, like, sad. I just wanted to say goodbye. It was, like, hard to film because I wanted to be, like, present with my family, so I just didn’t film it,” she shared.
Later in the vlog, Kai gave viewers a peek inside her new apartment as she settled into her college home with help from her mom, Vanessa, 48.
“It happens to everyone,” Kai said. “It’s time to move on.”
The teen had previously joked that her mom might “have a mental breakdown” while helping her settle in, and she later shared more of the move-in process with her social media followers.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Kai documented the pair shopping for essentials and getting her new apartment ready for college life.
“I’m totally exhausted from going to her apartment, coming back and forth and moving everything,” Vanessa, 48, admitted in the post.
Kai also reflected on the busy experience, writing, “We spent HOURS shopping for everything I could possibly need for my apartment and getting ready for this new chapter of college life!”
“So thankful my mom was there to do it all with me,” she added.
Kai also offered viewers a peek inside her new apartment as she prepared to settle into college life.
The golfer committed to the University of Miami nearly two years before graduating from high school in May and praised Vanessa for helping her through the major milestone.
“She truly is the BEST mom, and I’m so grateful for her,” Kai said.
In a separate YouTube video documenting their shopping trip, Kai noticed that her mom appeared to be feeling the weight of the transition, saying Vanessa was “definitely getting emotional because she got quiet.”
Vanessa, however, lightened the mood with a joke about sending the first of her five children off to college.
“I think this is amazing. One child out and four more to go,” she quipped.
“She truly is the BEST mom, and I’m so grateful for her,” Kai gushed.
Vanessa shares Kai and four other children — Donald III, 17, Tristan, 14, Spencer, 13, and Chloe, 12 — with her ex-husband, Donald Trump Jr. The former couple finalized their divorce in 2018.
Vanessa has since found love with Tiger Woods and is currently undergoing a battle with breast cancer.
After Vanessa publicly revealed her diagnosis in May, Kai rallied around her mom with a heartfelt show of support, calling her “the strongest person” she knows.
