Donald Trump axes Secret Service protection for Joe Biden's children over 'ridiculous' cost

Hunter and Ashley Biden will no longer have the security afforded to them by the core legal mandate of the Secret Service, in a move that has been branded "ridiculous"

Bradley Jolly Overnight News Editor and Phoebe Tonks Overnight Reporter

04:57, 18 Mar 2025

Donald Trump has slammed a 'ridiculous' use of public money(Image: Getty Images)

Donald Trump lambasted the "absurd" use of taxpayer funds as he scrapped Secret Service protection for Joe Biden's adult children, Hunter and Ashley. The siblings will no longer enjoy the core legal mandate of the Secret Service, which previously assigned 18 agents to accompany Hunter on a trip to South Africa, the birthplace of his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden.

Mr Biden had extended their Secret Service protection for six months beyond his presidency, just as Mr Trump had done in 2021 for his own adult children, including Donald Jr, Ivanka, Eric, and their spouses, as well as Tiffany, who was unmarried at the time, at a reported cost of $1.7 million (£1.3 million).

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Addressing the topic at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, the former US President stated: "I would say if there are 18 with Hunter Biden, that will be something I'll look at this afternoon... I'm going to take a look at that."

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Joe Biden and his son Hunter are pictured at Delaware Air National Guard Base last year(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Trump also expressed his views on Truth Social: "Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States taxpayer."

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He further wrote: "There are as many as 18 people on this detail, which is ridiculous! He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the human rights of people has been strenuously questioned. 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."

There was no immediate response from the office of the former president. Under federal law, former presidents and their spouses are entitled to life-long Secret Service protection, but this protection does not extend to their immediate family members over the age of 16 once they leave office, reports the Mirror.

Mr Biden, pictured with then First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Hunter and Ashley, became the US President in 2021(Image: Getty Images)

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Outgoing presidents do have the option to extend this protection for those who would otherwise not qualify for up to six months after leaving office, a privilege both Biden and Trump exercised for their families upon leaving office in 2021. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also extended protection for their families for a period.

This comes as a blow particularly for Hunter, who is reportedly going through a difficult time following the end of his father's presidency. The father of five was found guilty of federal gun charges in June and admitted to tax evasion in September, but received a pardon from his father in December last year.