Donald Trump’s latest decision has sent shockwaves across the United States and beyond. The president has ordered the termination of Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris, a move that has been described as both unprecedented and dangerous. With Harris set to embark on a nationwide book tour for her memoir, she now faces a sudden vulnerability that critics say puts her life in direct jeopardy. The symbolism is equally stark: a sitting president stripping away protection from his most visible political rival.
According to Reuters reporting, the order was signed quietly but became public after internal memos circulated among security officials. By law, former vice presidents receive six months of protection after leaving office. Harris’s coverage had been extended under Biden, who considered her a heightened-risk figure due to her history-making role and the threats she faced during her campaign. Trump’s reversal ends that extension immediately, leaving Harris without the institutional security that has shielded her since 2017.
The news spread quickly across Washington, where even veteran politicians expressed disbelief. One Democratic aide told The Guardian that the decision “feels like a punishment, not policy.” Republican officials defended the president, claiming it was merely a legal correction to excessive perks. But the optics could not be more damning: Trump revoking protections from the first woman, the first Black and South Asian American to serve as vice president, just as she reenters the public eye with a memoir that revisits her campaign against him.
“This isn’t about budgets. It’s about vengeance.”— @SafePolitics
Harris has not publicly attacked the decision, but her aides say she is deeply concerned about the risks. She issued a brief statement thanking the Secret Service for their service, calling their work “extraordinary,” but avoided criticizing Trump directly. Behind the scenes, her team has been scrambling to arrange private security. As covered by media reports, Harris is negotiating with former agents and local law enforcement to accompany her tour. The arrangements will cost millions, but experts warn private protection cannot replace the scope and authority of the Secret Service.
California leaders rushed to fill the gap. Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the move, vowing to provide state-level protection when Harris travels in California. Mayors across major cities voiced solidarity, with Los Angeles officials telling AP coverage they are preparing contingency plans. But even with state backing, the withdrawal of federal resources represents a staggering downgrade. “It’s like pulling the airbag from a car before a crash test,” one security expert said.
“Kamala Harris is now a private citizen with a target on her back.”— @SecurityWatch
For many, the timing is the most troubling detail. Harris’s memoir, 107 Days, recounts the final months of the 2024 campaign and her perspective on Trump’s return to power. Insiders told NBC reporting that the book includes blistering passages about Trump’s campaign tactics and his handling of January 6. Critics now argue that stripping her protection just weeks before the book’s release sends an unmistakable signal of retaliation.
Trump’s supporters dismiss that argument. They point out that former vice presidents are not entitled to lifetime protection and that Biden’s extension was “extraordinary.” As one aide explained to WSJ analysis, the president is “restoring balance” to federal security policy. Yet even among allies, there is quiet concern about the optics. “It looks cruel,” one Republican strategist admitted. “And cruelty makes for terrible headlines.”
For security professionals, the danger is not abstract. Harris has been the subject of repeated threats, many racially charged, since her rise to national prominence. A local report emphasized that she continues to attract online harassment and violent rhetoric. Removing her protective detail just as she begins a high-profile national tour could expose her to catastrophic risks.
“Protection isn’t about politics—it’s about acknowledging real threats.”— @PublicSafetyNow
Former agents have privately criticized the move as reckless. One retired Secret Service officer told Politico sources that the removal was “unthinkable” in previous administrations, where protecting political rivals was considered part of preserving democracy itself. That sense of institutional duty has now been replaced by presidential discretion, underscoring how fragile norms have become.
Harris herself has long embodied those shifting norms. Her historic role as vice president shattered barriers, but it also made her a magnet for hate. As TIME analysis argued, her need for security was always greater than the statute required. That Biden recognized it and Trump reversed it speaks volumes about the political climate surrounding her legacy.
Some see opportunity in the backlash. Videos shared by Nexta TV show crowds chanting support outside Harris’s office, holding signs that read “Protect Kamala” and “Security is a Right.” Donations to her political action committee reportedly spiked after the announcement, as reported in fundraising updates. For supporters, the revocation has become a rallying cry—proof that Trump governs not through fairness, but through vengeance.
The broader question is what this means for American democracy. If a sitting president can revoke security for an opponent, what other safeguards can be undone? Analysts in The Economist warn that the precedent is dangerous, especially in an era of heightened polarization and political violence. Protection, once viewed as a nonpartisan obligation, is now a weapon in political warfare.
“This isn’t just Kamala’s fight—it’s about whether democracy protects its dissenters.”— @DemocracyWatch
As September approaches, Harris remains in the spotlight. She is still preparing for her tour, still promoting her memoir, and still refusing to back down. But the stakes have changed. Where once Secret Service agents flanked her at every step, soon there will be private guards, local police, and the hope that nothing slips through the cracks. In a country where political violence has become alarmingly common, that hope feels far too fragile.
Trump, meanwhile, shows no signs of retreat. His allies have celebrated the decision as a correction of “overreach,” while his critics call it one of the most dangerous acts of his presidency. Harris, now more exposed than ever, has become the unwilling test case for how much protection democracy affords those who dare to challenge power. And the world is watching what comes next.