The president’s 19-year-old granddaughter, who plays for the University of Miami, says she is “choosing to embrace” a long recovery after posting a hospital selfie with her left arm in a cast.
Kai Trump, the eldest grandchild of President Donald Trump, has had surgery on her left wrist for an injury sustained in golf. The 19-year-old, who plays for the University of Miami women’s golf team, announced on Instagram on Wednesday that the procedure had been a success. She shared a hospital-bed selfie showing her arm in a cast and sling. It is her second operation on the same wrist this year.
Her statement
In the post, Ms Trump said the injury happened at her first tournament of the season. “While I had hoped to avoid surgery, after talks with my family, coaches and athletic training staff, I know I made the best decision for my long-term health and my future in the game I love,” she wrote.
She continued: “It’s certainly not how I envisioned the next few months, but sometimes the journey takes an unexpected turn, and I’m choosing to embrace this one with patience, and a whole lot of determination.” Recovery, she said, will “take time”, but she was “incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by amazing people who continue to lift me up, encourage me, and remind me that every challenge is an opportunity to grow”.
She thanked Dr Carlson and the team at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, along with her teammates, coaches and family. “For now, it’s all about healing, and trusting the process,” she said. “I can’t wait to be back with my team, doing what I love. I’ll be back before you know it, stronger and more grateful than ever! Go Canes!”
How the injury happened
In a video in September, Ms Trump said she hurt her left wrist at the Golfweek Fall Challenge in South Carolina. She was playing a shot close to a cart path when her club hit unexpectedly hard ground beneath the grass, and she felt a shock travel up her arm. While hitting a driver on the tenth hole, she felt further pain and feared she had torn something again. She later said doctors had found a small area of cartilage and ligament damage rather than a complete tear.
Before choosing surgery, she had discussed stem-cell injections with Miami physician Dr Jeffrey Wiegers, hoping to avoid another operation. There is no public evidence that the injections caused the need for surgery or that they would have prevented it.
Her earlier operation in January addressed damage to the extensor carpi ulnaris tendon, which helps control wrist movement, and the triangular fibrocartilage complex, which helps stabilise the wrist, according to reports. Exactly what was repaired this week has not been made public. She told Fox & Friends in July that she had had wrist surgery six months earlier. She also said she was “a little nervous” about starting at Miami, adding: “I’m ready for the next chapter.” Asked where her competitive edge came from, she said: “My mom’s competitive, too, but definitely Grandpa’s very competitive.”
Her college season so far
Ms Trump made her Miami debut at the Golfweek Fall Challenge from 6 to 8 September, finishing tied for 102nd of 120 players on 235 (+22), with rounds of 78, 76 and 81. She played as an individual and did not count towards the team score.
On 6-7 October she played in the Golfweek Put Me In Coach Invitational in Muncie, Indiana, and finished 13th of 14 on 243 (+27), with rounds of 86, 80 and 77. She improved in each round and had three birdies in her last. Her teammate Rebekah Gardner won, six strokes clear of fellow Miami player Anna Behnsen.
Miami’s next scheduled team event is the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational on 16-18 October in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The university has not confirmed a return date for Ms Trump, and she is highly unlikely to play, though no formal withdrawal has been confirmed. The Hurricanes are ranked seventh nationally, with two tournament wins and one runner-up finish, according to the Associated Press. Ms Trump is one of nine players on the roster. Golf Digest reports the surgery rules her out of The Annika, the LPGA event where she made her professional-tour debut last year. Her recovery time has not been announced.
