Trump ends Hunter and Ashley Biden’s Secret Service protection after extending his children’s for $1.7M

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump just made a huge move against his predecessor's family.

In a bombshell decision, Trump, 78, is cutting off Secret Service protection for Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden.

Trump strips Hunter and Ashley Biden of Secret Service protection

In a Monday, March 17, post on Truth Social, Donald Trump did not mince words when it came to Hunter Biden, 55, calling it “ridiculous” that he had “as many as 18” Secret Service agents at his beck and call, People reported.

“Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection,” Trump declared.

He then took a dig at Hunter’s recent trip to South Africa, adding a jab about the country’s human rights issues. “He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has been strenuously questioned. Because of this, South Africa has been taken off our list of Countries receiving Economic and Financial Assistance,” Trump wrote.

This, of course, refers to an executive order Trump signed last month, cutting off financial aid to South Africa over the country’s controversial Expropriation Act—a law meant to address land issues dating back to the apartheid era. But Trump’s administration insists that now it “blatantly discriminates against ethnic minority Afrikaners.”

And it’s not just Hunter—Trump’s coming for Ashley Biden too. The 43-year-old former first daughter had her own hefty Secret Service detail of 13 agents, but not anymore.

“Ashley, who has 13 agents, will be taken off the list,” Trump announced. And not long after Trump dropped the hammer, the Secret Service confirmed that they were already making moves to comply.

“We are aware of the President’s decision to terminate protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden,” the agency told Fox News. “The Secret Service will comply and is actively working with the protective details and the White House to ensure compliance as soon as possible.”

Donald Trump shocked to learn about Hunter Biden's security detail

While touring the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts later that afternoon, a reporter straight-up asked Donald Trump if he had actually pulled Hunter Biden’s security.

“Well, we have done that with many. I would say if there are 18 with Hunter Biden, that will be something I'll look at this afternoon,” Trump responded, before adding that this was the first time he was even hearing about the exact number of agents protecting Hunter.

Then he threw in a nonchalant shrug and said, “I'm going to take a look at that.”

And just like that, Hunter and Ashley’s Secret Service security vanished overnight.

Of course, this decision comes with a dash of irony. At the end of his first term, Trump extended Secret Service protection for his children for six months after leaving office.

According to a 2021 Washington Post report, the extended security cost taxpayers approximately $1.7 million.

And it wasn’t just for Trump’s four adult children—others close to the former president, including ex-Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and ex-National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, also got extended protection on the taxpayers' dime.

Donald Trump goes off on Joe Biden’s 'autopen' pardons

This comes as Donald Trump lashed out at Joe Biden’s controversial preemptive pardons.

These included pardons for members of the bipartisan House committee that investigated the Jan 6 Capitol riot, Capitol and DC police officers who testified before the committee, and even Dr Anthony Fauci

But according to Trump, these pardons don’t count. He raged on Truth Social, declaring them “VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT” since they were signed via "Autopen" (an automated signature device used for official documents). However, the US Constitution has no provision that allows a future president to undo a predecessor’s pardons.

For those keeping score, this isn’t the first time Trump has played hardball with Secret Service protection.

Back in January, he cut off security for Fauci—the face of America’s COVID-19 response—as well as John Bolton, his former national security adviser (who notably wrote a scathing book about Trump’s first presidency), according to NBC News.

“When you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off,” Trump said last month. “And, you know, you can’t have them forever," he added.

It's worth noting that former president Biden pardoned his son Hunter back in December—wiping away his illegal gun possession and tax charge cases with the stroke of a pen.