Former Vice President Kamala Harris has transitioned to a new security detail provided by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) following the withdrawal of her extended protection by former President Donald Trump last month. This change comes after Harris’s Secret Service protection was officially terminated on July 21, 2023.
According to KTTV, up to 11 officers from the LAPD’s Metropolitan Division have been reassigned to ensure Harris’s safety. Under federal law, a former vice president is entitled to six months of protection after leaving office. However, Harris’s security was extended for an additional year through an undisclosed directive from current President Joe Biden.
On August 31, 2023, Trump issued an executive memorandum to the Department of Homeland Security, allowing the discontinuation of any security-related measures for Harris that were not mandated by law. The memo specifically stated, “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.”
As Harris prepares for a multi-city book tour to promote her memoir, titled “107 Days,” discussions surrounding her safety have intensified. This memoir reflects on her presidential campaign, which holds the record for being the shortest in U.S. history at just 107 days.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has also offered to assist with Harris’s security. Reports indicate that California Governor Gavin Newsom and the CHP have been in talks regarding her protection. Newsom’s spokesman, Bob Salladay, expressed strong disapproval of Trump’s decision, stating, “The safety of our public officials should never be subject to erratic, vindictive political impulses,” as he conveyed to CNN.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also criticized the termination of Harris’s security detail, characterizing it as an “act of revenge following a long list of political retaliation in the form of firings.” Bass emphasized the potential danger posed to the former vice president and expressed her commitment to working with the Governor to ensure Harris’s safety in Los Angeles.
This situation is not the first instance of Trump ending security details for members of the Biden family. In March 2023, Trump similarly withdrew Secret Service protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden. The Secret Service acknowledged the decision, stating, “We are aware of the President’s decision to terminate protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden. The agency will comply and is actively working with the protective details and the White House to ensure compliance as soon as possible.”
As Harris embarks on her book tour amid these developments, the implications of the change in her security detail remain a focal point of discussion, raising questions about the safety of public officials in a politically charged environment.
