Donald Trump has slammed a 'ridiculous' use of public money(Image: Getty Images)

Donald Trump scraps Secret Service protection for Joe Biden's children

Joe Biden's children, Hunter and Ashley, had been protected by Secret Service details, which Mr Biden extended for six months before his tenure as president came to an end

by · The Mirror

Donald Trump blasted the "ridiculous" use of public money as he axed the Secret Service protection for Joe Biden's adult children.

Hunter and Ashley will no longer have the security afforded to them by the core legal mandate of the Secret Service. Hunter had 18 agents assigned to him for a trip to South Africa, where his wife Melissa Cohen Biden was born before emigrating to the US. Mr Biden extended the Secret Service protection for both his adult children for six months before his tenure as president came to an end. Mr Trump had done the same in 2021 to cover Donald Jr, Ivanka, Eric and their spouses, and Tiffany, who was unmarried at the time, a move which reportedly cost a whopping $1.7 million (£1.3 million).

But speaking today at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, the bullish US leader said: "I would say if there are 18 with Hunter Biden, that will be something I’ll look at this afternoon... I’m going to take a look at that."

The Republican also wrote on his Truth Social platform: "Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States taxpayer."

Joe Biden and his son Hunter are pictured at Delaware Air National Guard Base last year( Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The post added: "There are as many as 18 people on this detail, which is ridiculous! He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the human rights of people has been strenuously questioned.

"Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection. Likewise, Ashley Biden who has 13 agents will be taken off the list."

Mr Biden, pictured with then First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Hunter and Ashley, became the US President in 2021( Image: Getty Images)

There was no immediate reaction from the former president’s office. Former presidents and their spouses receive life-long Secret Service protection under federal law, but the protection afforded to their immediate families over the age of 16 ends when they leave office.

Outgoing presidents can extend protection for those who might otherwise not be eligible for up to six months after they leave office, something Biden did for his children and Trump did for his family after leaving office in 2021. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also extended protection for their families for a period.

The blow comes at a tough time for Hunter in particular as it was reported he had fallen "on hard times" following the end of his father's reign. The father of five was found guilty of federal gun charges in June and admitted to tax evasion in September, but was pardoned by his dad in December last year.