President Donald Trump announced he has rescinded Secret Service protection for both of former President Joe Biden's adult children.
In a post Monday on his Truth Social media platform, President Trump said, "effective immediately," Hunter and Ashley Biden will no longer be accompanied by federal security details.
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"Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer," President Trump said. "There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous!"
"Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection," he added. "Likewise, Ashley Biden who has 13 agents will be taken off the list."
The decision comes about a month after President Trump also announced he was revoking former President Biden's security clearances and ending his daily intelligence briefings — a traditional privilege extended to former presidents as a courtesy by the sitting president.
"He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security," President Trump said at the time.
In January 2021, the incoming Biden administration revoked then-former President Trump's access to classified intelligence briefings following his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
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Unlike their children, former President Biden and wife Jill Biden will continue to receive Secret Service protection. Under the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012, all former presidents and their spouses are entitled to lifetime protection unless they choose to decline it — something former President Richard Nixon did in 1985 over personal concerns about the federal deficit.
Secret Service protection is also extended to the immediate family of presidents who are over the age of 16, but it typically ends once the president leaves office — unless extended for security purposes. Before they left office, Both President Trump and former President Biden reportedly arranged for their children to receive continued protection for six months.
The yearly cost to provide former presidents and their families with Secret Service protection is not publicly disclosed, but it can vary widely based on specific needs and amount of travel.
