Story highlights
Trump Jr. previously traveled without protection during a family trip to Nassau
The Secret Service strongly pushed back on Trump Jr.'s request
Donald Trump Jr. is seeking to scale back his Secret Service protection, four sources familiar with Trump Jr.’s Secret Service protection confirmed Monday.
The President’s eldest son previously requested to travel without protection during a family trip to Nassau, Bahamas, in late June, a move reluctantly accepted by the Secret Service. Trump Jr. and his family traveled aboard a yacht for several days without his full detail, CNN has learned. A law enforcement source stressed the request to pull back on protection did not come from the agency.
The Secret Service strongly pushed back on Trump Jr.’s request to waive protection for the Bahamas trip, according to two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, but it was “demanded” by Trump Jr. himself. Now, the President’s eldest son has asked that his full-time protection end, as well. The Secret Service would not confirm the request.
“To ensure the safety and security of our protectees and their families we will not confirm who is currently receiving Secret Service protection,” a Secret Service spokesperson told CNN.
A spokesperson for both Trump Jr. and the White House did not immediately respond to CNN’s requests for comment on Trump Jr.’s request.
A decision to waive full-time protection is not unprecedented; Ron Reagan ultimately declined Secret Service protection during his father’s second term as president.
It’s unclear whether full-time protection for Trump Jr. has ended.
Trump Jr. is authorized, but not required by law, to have Secret Service protection as an immediate family member of the President. The decision comes as the Secret Service is already stretched thin, due in part to the large size of the Trump family.
The source added that leaving Trump Jr. unprotected would be a “huge risk,” saying: “It’s just a stupid decision.”
The family has expressed a desire for more privacy and personal space, one of the sources said.
Earlier this year, two Secret Service agents faced an internal investigation over alleged conduct while they protected one of Donald Trump Jr.’s children. The agents allegedly took a picture of a child sleeping in the Secret Service vehicle, according to people familiar with the matter.
Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric are longtime supporters of the Secret Service, with a deep history and many friendships dating back years before their father’s presidency. Both of Trump’s adult sons have also quietly financially supported training initiatives and counterterrorism training through different organizations.
CNN’s Mary Kay Mallonee and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.
