Trump cancels Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has terminated former Vice President Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times. Trump signed a memorandum Thursday that will end Harris’ protection as of Monday.

The Secret Service usually protects a former vice president for six months after they leave office, but President Joe Biden had signed an order extending Harris’ protection for a year beyond that, according to two people familiar with the arrangement.

Harris’ aides had asked Biden’s team for the extended protection because of security concerns. Without the order from Biden, Harris’ protection would have ended in July.

The White House memorandum, signed by Trump, directed Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, “to discontinue any security-related procedures previously authorized by executive memorandum, beyond those required by law,” for Harris.

Spokespeople for the White House and for Biden declined to comment. The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kirsten Allen, a senior adviser to Harris, said in a statement, “The vice president is grateful to the United States Secret Service for their professionalism, dedication, and unwavering commitment to safety.”

The end of Harris’ protection comes just before she is set to embark on a nationwide tour to promote her new book about her presidential campaign. The book, titled “107 Days,” is scheduled to be published Sept. 23.

Trump’s decision to revoke her security detail was reported earlier by CNN.

Harris, as the first woman and the first Black person to serve as vice president, faced an elevated threat profile throughout her time in office, according to the people familiar with her security arrangement. Those threats increased sharply after she became the Democratic presidential nominee last summer when Biden dropped out of the race, and they continued through the 2024 election.

Since taking office, Trump has ended Secret Service protection for a number of people. Within hours of being sworn in, he removed the security detail for John Bolton, one of his former national security advisers with whom he had a falling out. He also revoked protection for Mike Pompeo, one of his former secretaries of state, and Brian Hook, a former aide, despite warnings that the men faced ongoing threats from Iran.

In March, Trump also ended Secret Service protection for Biden’s children, Hunter and Ashley. Biden had issued an executive order that extended protection to them.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.