Former Vice President Kamala Harris has Secret Service protection, at least for a few more months.
Chelsea Clinton does not have a Secret Service detail anymore, though her parents, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, do.
All of President Trump’s family members currently have protection, including his grandchildren.
And while former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his wife are by law allowed to have protection for the rest of their lives, their adult children had it only for a few months. Before leaving office, Mr. Biden issued an executive order that extended the protection to them, but Mr. Trump revoked their detail in a pique on Monday.
The controversies and Mr. Trump’s announcement have thrust the subject of security for public figures into the headlines. But they also raise questions: Who gets Secret Service protection? For how long? Who makes those decisions? How much is it costing the taxpayers?
Here are the ins and outs of government protection.
Who is the Secret Service required to protect?
The Secret Service is statutorily required to protect certain people, including the sitting president, vice president and their families.
In the case of both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, their family members made up a majority of people with Secret Service protection details during their respective administrations. Both men are grandfathers and have large families that have been under protection. Mr. Trump has five children and 10 grandchildren. Mr. Biden’s two children and seven grandchildren also had details while he was president.
The agency is required to protect former presidents and their spouses for life, and children of past presidents retain their Secret Service details until they turn 16.