President Donald Trump has officially revoked Secret Service protection for Joe Biden’s adult children, Hunter Biden, 55, and Ashley Biden, 43, with immediate effect.
Citing unnecessary taxpayer expenses, Trump ordered the removal of security details assigned to them. His decision follows reports that 18 Secret Service agents had been deployed to Cape Town, South Africa, to protect Hunter during his luxury vacation. He was allegedly staying in a $500-per-night beachfront villa, while his bodyguards also received taxpayer-funded accommodations. Meanwhile, Ashley Biden had 13 agents assigned to her in the U.S.
Now that Joe Biden’s presidency has ended, his children no longer qualify for Secret Service protection under the Former Presidents Protection Act, which only extends coverage to children under 16. However, before leaving office, Biden had granted an additional six months of security for his children—something Trump swiftly overturned.
Trump’s Statement and Cost-Cutting Measures
Trump took to Truth Social to justify his decision, making his stance clear:
“Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer.”
“There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous! He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has been strenuously questioned.”
He then announced that South Africa would be removed from the U.S. economic aid list and declared:
“Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection. Likewise, Ashley Biden, who has 13 agents, will be taken off the list.”
Critics were quick to note that Trump himself had extended Secret Service protection to his four adult children—Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, and Tiffany Trump—when leaving office in 2021, granting them an extra six months of government-funded security.
However, Trump’s move aligns with his broader push to cut federal spending. As part of this effort, he created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Their mission is to slash wasteful government spending and eliminate unnecessary jobs, with the goal of shutting down DOGE entirely by July 4, 2026.
Trump Voids Biden’s Last-Minute Pardons
Beyond cutting security for Biden’s family, Trump also overturned several last-minute pardons issued by Joe Biden. He claimed they were unlawfully approved using an autopen, suggesting Biden wasn’t even aware of what he was signing.
Trump made another bold declaration on Truth Social:
“The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen.”
“In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!”
Among those pardoned in Biden’s final hours were:
- All nine members of the House Jan. 6 Select Committee, including Rep. Bennie Thompson and former Rep. Liz Cheney
- General Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had previously criticized Trump
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s former chief medical advisor, accused of misleading Congress on the origins of Covid-19
Trump’s decisions have sparked controversy, as they not only target Biden’s family but also roll back key actions taken in the final moments of the previous administration.
