Trump Makes Announcement About Secret Service Protections
President Donald Trump announced Monday that Secret Service protection for Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden will be revoked immediately. In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that Hunter Biden had been assigned up to 18 Secret Service agents, while Ashley Biden had 13.
Trump criticized the arrangement, calling it an unnecessary use of taxpayer dollars. He specifically pointed to Hunter Biden’s current vacation in South Africa, a country Trump noted has faced scrutiny over human rights issues. Trump also announced that due to these concerns, South Africa would be removed from the U.S. list of countries receiving economic and financial assistance.
“Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection. Likewise, Ashley Biden, who has 13 agents, will be taken off the list,” Trump wrote.
Federal law provides lifetime Secret Service protection for former presidents and their spouses, but it does not extend to their children beyond the age of 16. However, both Trump and Biden had previously approved six-month extensions for their children’s protection upon leaving office.
Hunter Biden’s security detail became a renewed point of scrutiny after reports confirmed his presence in South Africa, where he was accompanied by a Secret Service team.
Trump first addressed the issue earlier in the day while visiting the Kennedy Center, suggesting he would be reviewing the situation. “I would say if there are 18 [Secret Service agents] with Hunter Biden, that will be something I look at this afternoon,” he told reporters.
The decision follows a controversial pardon issued by Biden for his son before leaving office. Hunter Biden was convicted in June of illegally possessing a firearm while struggling with drug addiction and making false statements on the purchase form. In his pardon statement, Biden defended his son, calling the prosecution politically motivated.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden wrote.
With the revocation of protection, Hunter and Ashley Biden will no longer have federally funded security.