President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke former Vice President Kamala Harris’s Secret Service protection has set off a political firestorm and raised pressing questions about the safety of high-profile public figures in today’s polarized climate. The move, confirmed by senior Trump administration officials on August 29, 2025, comes at a particularly sensitive time: Harris, the first Black and South Asian woman to serve as vice president, is about to embark on a multi-city book tour to promote her memoir, 107 Days, which chronicles her whirlwind 2024 presidential campaign (as reported by USA TODAY, The 19th, and Associated Press).
Under the Former Vice President Protection Act of 2008, former vice presidents and their immediate families are entitled to Secret Service protection for six months after leaving office—a period that ended for Harris on July 21, 2025. However, this time, the usual rules were quietly altered. Before leaving office in January, then-President Joe Biden signed a directive extending Harris’s protection for an additional year, according to federal officials who spoke to USA TODAY and The 19th. This extension was not publicly disclosed at the time, but it meant Harris’s coverage would have lasted until July 2026.
That extension came to a sudden halt when Trump, now in his second term after defeating Harris in the 2024 election, issued a directive to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on August 28. The order, obtained by CNN and cited by The 19th, instructed Noem 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 timing of the revocation has drawn particular scrutiny. Harris’s book tour, which begins September 24, will take her to 15 cities across the United States and abroad, including stops in London and Toronto. The tour marks her most high-profile public appearances since her electoral defeat last November. According to The 19th, the tour will also include international engagements, putting Harris in the public eye and, potentially, at greater risk.
Security experts and former Secret Service officials have not minced words about the implications. A.T. Smith, former deputy director of the Secret Service, told USA TODAY, “I don’t think any of the [private security] firms would be able to rise to the level of the Secret Service simply because of all of the things that go into its protection.” Smith explained that private security, while sometimes staffed by former agents, lacks access to classified threat assessments, the legal authority to conduct motorcades and crowd control, and the resources to counter cyber, chemical, and biological threats. “Whether it’s the close protection and security perimeter, the motorcades, the technical security piece and, of course, the chem-bio related stuff,” Smith said, “you’re just not going to get it” from private firms.
Other former officials echoed this view. John Magaw, a former Secret Service director, told USA TODAY that before any protection is revoked, “All of those intelligence systems are looked at to see if there have been any threats, any letters or worse, or if her name has been mentioned anywhere. If there’s anything that looks like a threat, then they will continue her on as an official protectee.”
However, a recent threat intelligence assessment conducted by the Secret Service reportedly found no credible evidence of a threat to Harris, according to a White House official cited by Associated Press. The official, who insisted on anonymity, said the administration found no reason Harris’s protection should extend beyond the standard six-month period. Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence, did not receive an extension either, the official noted.
Still, the abruptness and context of the revocation have fueled accusations of political retaliation. Harris, who lives in Los Angeles, has long been a target for threats and harassment—risks that are heightened for women of color in politics, The 19th reported. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the move “another act of revenge following a long list of political retaliation” and said she would work with California Governor Gavin Newsom to ensure Harris’s safety. Newsom’s spokesperson, Bob Sallady, told CNN, “The safety of our public officials should never be subject to erratic, vindictive political impulses.”
Senator Adam Schiff, a fellow California Democrat, was even more direct. “Another dangerous reminder that there’s no agenda more important to Donald Trump than retribution. He feeds conspiracy theories to his followers. Makes their targets more vulnerable. Then pulls their security,” Schiff wrote in a social media post. “This is a dark road. And we have a President that is all-too-willing to drive us down it.”
For her part, Harris has not commented in detail on the revocation, except to thank the Secret Service for “their professionalism, dedication, and unwavering commitment to safety,” according to a statement from her adviser Kirsten Allen. She has, however, remained vocal on other issues, recently condemning the Trump administration’s decision to send the National Guard and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles after mass protests over immigration raids. “The administration’s actions are not about public safety—they’re about stoking fear,” Harris said in June, as reported by The 19th.
The political context only complicates matters further. Trump has a history of revoking security details for political adversaries and former officials, including John Bolton, Robert O’Brien, Mike Pompeo, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and even President Biden’s adult children, as documented by USA TODAY and Associated Press. While outgoing presidents have discretion to extend such protection—Biden did so for Trump’s family in 2021—Trump’s latest move is seen by critics as targeting those who oppose him.
Meanwhile, Harris’s political future remains open. She announced in July that she would not run for governor of California in 2026, leaving her next steps uncertain. “For now, my leadership—and public service—will not be in elected office,” she said in a July 30 statement. “I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans.”
As Harris prepares to step back into the national spotlight, the debate over her security underscores the complex intersection of politics, safety, and precedent in American public life. With state officials now exploring alternative security arrangements and the nation watching closely, the next chapter of Harris’s career—and her safety—remains uncertain, but far from unimportant.
