In a move that’s raised eyebrows this morning, President Donald Trump has ended Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of schedule. This comes just as Harris announced a 15-city book tour for her new memoir “107 Days”.
Can Trump pull her Secret Service protection? What follows is where the nuance lies:
What’s the standard policy?
Under federal law - the Former Vice President Protection Act of 2008 - former vice presidents, their spouses, and children under 16 are entitled to up to six months of Secret Service protection after leaving office. After that period, continued protection is only possible if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines there's a continuing risk.
The Biden extension - and what it means
When Joe Biden left office in January, he used presidential authority to extend Harris’s Secret Service detail to a full year, rather than the usual six months. That extension wasn’t widely publicized at the time.
Trump pulls the plug early
Now, mid-extension, President Trump has revoked that protection, per recent media reports including a memo cited by CNN. That termination comes before the one-year period Biden had authorized had concluded.
What this means in plain terms:
Standard rule: Former vice presidents get 6 months of protection.
Biden’s move: Uncommonly extended Harris’s detail to 1 year via directive.
Trump’s action: Cut that extension short—not by law, but by executive authority.
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