Donald Trump Jr. apparently no longer wants Secret Service protection

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Donald Trump Jr., President Trump's eldest son and the acting head of the family real estate and branding company, has decided to voluntarily drop his Secret Service detail, telling friends he wants more privacy, several people familiar with the decision tell The Washington Post and USA Today. The Secret Service stopped protecting the younger Trump last week, The New York Times reports, though it's not clear if his wife and five children are still being protected. The Secret Service said it does not comment on who it is protecting out of safety considerations.

The Secret Service is obligated to protect the president and his family, but not top aides, and senior counselor Kellyanne Conway's detail is being dropped, too, the Times report. Conway was originally placed under Secret Service protection because she received threats early on in her tenure, but "that threat assessment has since changed," the Times says, citing a senior administration official. Protecting at least two fewer people should ease the financial and human strain on the Secret Service, especially since Don Trump Jr. travels extensively for business and leisure. The Secret Service will continue to protect the president and his other children and grandchildren, several top aides, and Trump Tower, his primary residence.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.