Days before leaving office, Donald Trump ensured that his extended family would continue to receive protection from the US Secret Service for the next six months, according to reports.
The former president is said to have issued a directive to extend post-presidency protection to his four adult children – Ivanka, Don. Jr, Eric and Tiffany – and two of their spouses, who were not automatically entitled to receive it, according to the Washington Post.
Trump also reportedly instructed that three key officials leaving government – former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, former chief of staff Mark Meadows and former national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien – also receive a security detail for the next until July, two sources said.
Under federal law, Trump, his wife, Melania Trump, and their 14-year-old son Barron are the only members of his immediate family entitled to Secret Service protection after they leave office.
The former president is said to have issued a directive to extend post-presidency protection to his four adult children and two of their spouses, who were not automatically entitled to receive it
Trump also reportedly instructed that three key officials leaving government – (left to right) former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, former chief of staff Mark Meadows and former national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien
Trump and Melania will received Secret Service protection for the remainder of their lives, in accordance with the Former Presidents Act of 1958. Barron is entitled to the protection until her turns 16.
Ex-Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen will also receive protection for the next six months, under the same law.
The arrangement involving Trump’s grown children and former key staffers will see them receive around-the-clock protection until at least July, which is expected to cost millions of dollars.
However, the service will come at no cost to the Trump family with the bill footed entirely by taxpayers.
Protected under the motion will be Ivanka and her husband Jared; Eric and his wife Lara; Don Jr.; and Tiffany Trump.
Trump’s 10 grandchildren will also indirectly receive protection that derives from being in close proximity to their parents, however they were not specifically mentioned in the directive.
Protected under the motion will be Ivanka and her husband Jared; Eric and his wife Lara; Don Jr.; and Tiffany Trump
Secret Service agents waits outside of the Washington D.C. home of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
The extension of security comes as the Secret Service has also mobilized protective details for the families of President Biden and Vice President Harris.
Twenty-four hour security teams are being deployed to protect Biden’s two adult children – Hunter and Ashley – and his seven grandchildren, as well as Harris’ two stepchildren.
It is not an unusual move for a president to ask for extended security protection for immediate family members. Former presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama all asked for extended protections for their daughters after they left office.
However, it is considered unusual for a president to ask for so many extensions for family members, as well as for ex-staffers.
During his one term in office, the cost of the Trump family’s protection has reportedly landed a significant hit to the Secret Service’s budget, with his adult children regularly traveling across country and around the world for vacations and business, the Post reported.
From 2017 to 2019, Trump family members reportedly took a total of 4,500 trips which required the Secret Service to accompany them. The price of these trips is thought to have cost the taxpayer tens of millions of dollars.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the expansion of Secret Service security, has not yet responded to a Dailymail.com request for comment.
During his one term in office, the cost of the Trump family’s protection has reportedly landed a significant hit to the Secret Service’s budget, with his adult children regularly traveling across country and around the world for vacations and business
Trump departed Washington on Air Force One Wednesday morning, hours before Biden was sworn in as his successor.
Speaking on the tarmac of Andrews Air Force Base before fleeing to his Mar-a-Lago estate, trump told fans, ‘We will be back in some form’ and said ‘have a good life.’
The president paused at times in his remarks. While he did not show tears, he appeared to feel the weight of the occasion while taking time to enjoy the final moments of his time in office. He notably did not mention the name of incoming President Joe Biden.
He told his supporters, who he hopes to harness as a power force in future elections, that he will be there for them.
‘I will always fight for you. I will be watching, I will be listening and I will tell you the future of the country has never been better. I wish the new administration great luck and great success. They have the foundation to do something really spectacular and in a position like it has never been,’ he said.