Secret Service Ramps Up Donald Trump Security Before Inauguration

The Secret Service will “enhance security measures” around Donald Trump and his properties around the country, it has told Newsweek.

Trump won the U.S. election this week, after surviving two assassination attempts. He was already “receiving heightened Secret Service protection” which will be maintained, while other security measures will also be ramped up, Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said.

He told Newsweek: “The President-elect has been receiving heightened Secret Service protection and this level of security will be maintained moving forward.

“While we cannot share specific details to ensure the integrity of our operations, family members and executive staff of the President-elect may also be afforded protection in accordance with federal law.

“Enhanced security measures around Palm Beach County, Florida and New York City are also being coordinated. The Secret Service is committed to working with local partners in these cities to keep the community informed about any potential impacts to the public.”

It comes ahead of the next major political event in Trump’s calendar—Inauguration Day on January 20 next year, which will take place at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Secret Service protection is automatically provided to the children and grandchildren of sitting presidents, but Trump’s son Barron Trump has already started his freshman year at New York University with Secret Service protection.

It remains unclear whether Melania Trump will be joining her husband at the White House, with sources previously quoted by People magazine saying she will also spend time in New York and at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.

The Secret Service has faced scrutiny in the wake of this year’s attempts on Trump’s life. An independent panel investigating the attempt, on July 13, at a rally in Butler Pennsylvania, criticized it for a breakdown in communication.

In a 52-page review released last month, it notes the Secret Service’s struggles to grasp the unique threats facing Trump and faults a “do more with less” mentality that has pervaded the agency.

The panel recommended a sweeping overhaul of leadership, urging the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, to prioritize its protective mission.

“The Secret Service as an agency requires fundamental reform to carry out its mission,” the report’s authors wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “Without that reform, the Independent Review Panel believes another incident like Butler can and will happen again.”

Newsweek has contacted Trump’s team, via email, for any comment.