Former Vice President Kamala Harris will no longer have Secret Service protection starting on Monday.
President Trump moved Thursday to terminate Ms. Harris’s protection in a memorandum that directed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “to discontinue any security-related procedures previously authorized by executive memorandum, beyond those required by law.”
The end of Ms. Harris’s protection will go into effect less than a month before she embarks on a nationwide book tour.
Here is what you need to know about Ms. Harris’s Secret Service protection.
Are vice presidents entitled to Secret Service protection?
The Secret Service usually protects a former vice president for six months after they leave office.
The sitting vice president, vice president-elect and their immediate families also receive protection details, as well as major vice-presidential candidates and their spouses within 120 days of a general presidential election.
It is not unusual for presidents to extend protection for their vice presidents after they leave office. While Mr. Trump’s vice president during his first term, Mike Pence, did not have extended protection, President Barack Obama extended former Vice President Dick Cheney’s protection for another six months.
When was Ms. Harris’s protection going to end?
Ms. Harris’s protection would have ended in July, but President Joseph R. Biden Jr. signed an order before leaving office that extended her protection until July 2026.
Ms. Harris’s aides asked Mr. Biden’s team for the extension because of security concerns. Mr. Trump didn’t explain why he was rescinding Ms. Harris’s extended protection.
Is Mr. Trump allowed to revoke Ms. Harris’s protection?
Yes. The law does not require protection for former vice presidents beyond the six-month period.
This is also not the first time Mr. Trump has terminated an individual’s security detail.
The president also pulled the protection for Mike Pompeo, one of his former secretaries of state; Brian Hook, a former aide; and John R. Bolton, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser who is currently under investigation for mishandling classified information. All three men faced ongoing threats from Iran. And he ended protection for Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, who had received death threats related to his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.
All of the men had fallen out with Mr. Trump, and several were openly critical of the president.
Who is the Secret Service required by law to protect?
The agency is required to protect former presidents and their spouses for life. Children of past presidents retain their security details until they turn 16.
Visiting heads of states and their spouses also receive protection details, as well as official U.S. representatives performing special missions abroad.
The Secret Service must also protect any individuals designated by the president through an executive order, as was the case with Ms. Harris.
Mr. Trump issued an executive order extending security details for his five children at the end of his first term. Mr. Biden did the same for his children, Hunter and Ashley, but Mr. Trump abruptly terminated the protection in March.
How has Ms. Harris reacted?
Kirsten Allen, a senior adviser to Ms. 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.”
Threats against Ms. Harris, the first woman and Black person to serve as vice president, increased sharply after she became the Democratic presidential nominee last summer and continued through the 2024 election.
Ms. Harris will soon embark on a 15-city book tour to promote her new memoir about the presidential campaign, titled “107 Days.” Her first stop is in New York City on Sept. 24, one day after her book is scheduled to publish.
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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