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Donald Trump’s second presidency has several defining characteristics, including corruption and abuse of power, but the one that is being reinforced almost daily is petty vindictiveness.
Whether it is the raid on former Ambassador John Bolton, who has been a frequent critic of Trump's foreign policy, or the investigations into the national security community and allegations against critics like Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Trump’s second presidency feels a lot like a revenge tour.
Vice Presidents usually receive 6 months of Secret Service protection after leaving office. As his term ended, Joe Biden extended Kamala Harris’s protection for an additional year.
Trump canceled her protection by issuing a letter stating, “You are hereby authorized to discontinue any security-related procedures previously authorized by Executive Memorandum, beyond those required by law, for the following individual, effective September 1, 2025: Former Vice President Kamala D. Harris.”
The United States is in an unprecedented time of threats of political violence.
Fox News published an article earlier this week laying out the dire situation, “Political violence is surging in America, and it’s hitting lawmakers on both sides of the aisle…In 2024 alone, U.S. Capitol Police investigated more than 9,000 threats against lawmakers, marking more than an 18% increase from the year prior and part of a trend of growing threats against public officials, according to police records.”
Whether it is the political assassination of Minnesota state lawmakers or the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, there has never been a more dangerous time for elected officials and their families, which makes Trump’s decision to take away former VP Harris’s Secret Service protection especially reckless.
At a time when lawmakers of all stripes are requesting more security, Trump is taking security away from someone whom he views as a political enemy.
Trump is endangering the lives of a former vice president and her family. Biden extended the protection for Harris because she has been made a target by the rhetoric of Trump and his allies.
Regardless of political affiliation, it is nonsensical that former vice presidents only get 6 months of protection after leaving office. The old standard may have been fine when threats of violence were not so common, but times and circumstances have changed.
The law needs to change with it.
Instead of doing more to protect elected officials, Trump is doing less to protect Harris, and if something unthinkably horrible were to happen, Donald Trump will be responsible.
What do you think about Trump canceling Kamala Harris’s protection? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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