White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt now has a Secret Service detail.
The change was made in recent days, according to CBS News. Whether the killing last Wednesday of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk factored into the decision is unclear. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Beast, and the Secret Service declined to comment.
But the addition of a security detail to the high-profile press secretary does coincide with the Trump administration urging Congress after the shooting to approve a $58 million increase in security for members of the executive and judicial branches. Security for legislative branch members has been in the works since August.
Also potentially relevant is how anti-Trump protesters were able to get close to the president and top Cabinet members inside a Washington, D.C. restaurant early last week, before Kirk’s shooting.
Members of the Code Pink activist group called Trump “Hitler” and shouted “Free D.C.! Free Palestine!” inside Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab as the president, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sat down to eat.
The episode caused some of the right to express their concern.
“How are they allowed that close to him? Where was Secret Service and was there someone in Secret Service that leaked his location? This needs to be looked into,” Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted on X.
A Secret Service spokesperson told the Daily Beast at the time that “all restaurant guests were screened prior to the president’s arrival, including the protestors who had made a reservation to gain access.”
“The situation inside the restaurant was quickly resolved by Secret Service personnel who were actively engaged in ensuring the president’s safety and the dinner continued without further incident,” they added. “The safety and security of the president remains our highest priority.”
Still, Trump admitted Thursday he felt threatened.
“Yeah, I think they were a threat,” he said on Air Force One on his way back from the U.K.
Leavitt isn’t the first press secretary to receive a detail from the Secret Service, which—as of last year—protected 36 individuals. In 2018, Trump granted temporary protection to Sarah Sanders after she was denied service at a Virginia restaurant.
In his second term, the president has used his authority to revoke Secret Service details as well. Late last month, he stripped Kamala Harris of the protection that former President Joe Biden had extended beyond the legally required six-month term. That move came weeks before Harris’ national book tour for 107 Days, her account of the 2024 campaign.
Trump has also removed protective details for two first-term Cabinet members of his, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, as well as for Ashley and Hunter Biden, the former president’s adult children.
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