President Donald Trump recently ordered an immediate halt to Secret Service protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden, citing excessive costs and large security details. Trump announced this decision on March 17, claiming that Hunter’s detail included 18 agents, which he called “ridiculous.” Ashley Biden had 13 agents assigned to her. Trump’s move follows a broader effort to reduce taxpayer-funded security, revoking protection for several high-profile figures, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and former officials like John Bolton and Mike Pompeo.

Trump justified his decision, emphasizing that lifetime Secret Service protection should not be granted and that Biden’s children no longer needed it. He also criticized Hunter Biden’s vacation in South Africa, a country Trump has frequently criticized.

The decision comes shortly after Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon for Hunter, erasing federal convictions for tax evasion and gun possession. Trump, however, declared Biden’s pardons “void” and questioned the legitimacy of those issued for members of the January 6 committee, alleging improper use of an autopen to sign them.