President Donald Trump revoked Secret Service protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden after learning of the “ridiculous” cost to taxpayers, pointing to Hunter’s recent trip to South Africa.
Joe Biden had extended Secret Service protection for his children for six months after leaving office, a common practice among presidents. Trump had done the same for his own children after his first term.
However, Trump criticized Hunter Biden for traveling to South Africa with his security detail, arguing that the expense was an unnecessary burden on taxpayers. Hunter’s wife, Melissa Cohen, is originally from South Africa.
Hunter has 18 agents. Ashley has 13 in her detail.
The president’s announcement came hours after a reporter asked Trump about Hunter’s detail. The president said he had not been aware of it but would look into it.
President Donald Trump ends Hunter and Ashley Biden’s Secret Service detail
“Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period, all funded by U.S. taxpayers,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “His detail includes as many as 18 agents—absolutely ridiculous! And now, he’s vacationing in South Africa, of all places, a country where human rights have been heavily scrutinized.”
“As a result, South Africa has been removed from our list of countries receiving economic and financial assistance,” Trump announced. “Effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection. Likewise, Ashley Biden, who has 13 agents, will also be removed from the list.”
Ashley Biden resides and works in Philadelphia.
While former presidents and first ladies receive lifelong Secret Service protection, their children are not automatically entitled to it after turning 16 unless granted by the president.
Last week, Hunter Biden was spotted in Cape Town, staying in a $500-a-night beachfront villa.
Hunter Biden was accompanied by a Secret Service detail reportedly consisting of 18 agents.
The cost to taxpayers for his protection alone could reach $500,000. Meanwhile, the Secret Service remains stretched thin due to its ongoing protection of President Trump and his children.
After leaving office in 2021, Trump extended Secret Service protection to his four adult children for six months, a move that cost taxpayers $1.7 million and drew criticism from Democrats.
The Biden children aren’t the only ones to lose government protection under Trump. During his presidency, he also revoked security details for former National Security Adviser John Bolton and Dr. Anthony Fauci within his first month in office.
Hunter and Ashley Biden in May 2023
Hunter’s legal letter claims he has struggled to find a new home for himself, wife Melissa Cohen Biden, 38, and toddler Beau Jr., age four, after the January fires
Hunter Biden was convicted of firearms and tax evasion charges but was later pardoned by his father before President Biden left office.
Trump has since announced he is voiding Biden’s pardons, though it remains unclear whether he has the legal authority to do so.
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden claims to be in severe financial distress.
In a federal court filing from March, he stated that he is struggling to sell his artwork, and his book sales have sharply declined. His legal filing also mentions difficulties finding a new home for himself, his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, 38, and their four-year-old son, Beau Jr., following the January fires.
“The plaintiff, like many others in similar circumstances, has struggled to find a permanent residence and maintain a stable income,” the letter stated.
“As a result, he must focus his time and resources on relocating, addressing the damage caused by the fires, and covering his family’s living expenses rather than this litigation.”
The former First Son faces significant personal financial obligations, including an estimated $5,000 per month in child support for his six-year-old daughter, Navy Joan Roberts, whom he shares with former assistant Lunden Roberts.
Additionally, he owes his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, $2.9 million in alimony, according to a June 2024 report by Axios.
Meanwhile, questions are being raised about funding for Ashley Biden’s charity.
The 43-year-old former first daughter, a social worker, is dedicated to helping women transition out of prison.
However, a key figure from a think tank closely tied to the Trump White House has called for a thorough investigation into a $250,000 donation made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s charitable foundation to Ashley Biden’s organization.
According to the charity’s impact report published last December, the couple’s nonprofit, Archewell, was a founding partner of Biden’s initiative, Women’s Wellness (Spa)ce, contributing the six-figure sum.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were revealed to be ‘founding partners’ of Ashley Biden’s wellness initiative through their charity, Archewell
Ashley Biden launched Women’s Wellness (Spa)ce, a trauma-informed wellness center’ for women based in Philadelphia
Nile Gardiner, Director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, is calling for “significant scrutiny” of the $250,000 donation made to the Philadelphia-based Women’s Wellness (Spa)ce, a facility described as a “trauma-informed wellness center” for women.
According to Archewell’s annual report, the donation was made during the 2023-2024 tax year.
Gardiner emphasized the need for “full transparency and oversight” regarding the contribution, stating, “I do think there should be significant scrutiny of that.”
