Trump extended Secret Service protection for family members in final days in office: report

Former President Trump extended Secret Service protection for 13 of his family members before he left office. 

The Secret Service will protect Donald Trump, former first lady Melania Trump, Barron Trump, Ivanka Trump and her husband and four kids, Donald Trump Jr. and his four kids, Eric Trump and his wife, and Tiffany Trump, according to The Washington Post.

People familiar with the issue spoke with anonymity to the Post, saying Trump wanted the Secret Service protection for his extended family for another six months. 

Under federal law, only Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Barron Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and former second lady Karen Pence are entitled to Secret Service protection when Donald Trump is out of office. Donald and Melania Trump will have it for a lifetime, Barron Trump will have it until he is 16 years old, and Mike and Karen Pence will have it for six months. 

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 unusual for a president to ask for so many extensions for extended family members. The extended protection could cost taxpayers millions of dollars because of how many people are being protected and how often they travel. 

The Secret Service would have to accommodate Trump’s request as it works to provide Secret Service protection for President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’s immediate families. 

The Hill has reached out to the Secret Service for comment.