The billionaire real estate mogul is renowned for braggadocio about his YUUUGE wealth, and for foregoing million-dollar checks from special-interest donors and self-funding his campaign.
But there is one thing he wants that taxpayers would foot the bill for: Secret Service protection.
He told The Hill on Tuesday that he deserves such a detail because of his popularity. And he noted that Obama already had Secret Service protection at this stage of the 2008 race.
“I want to put them on notice because they should have a liability,” Trump said. “Personally, I think if Obama were doing as well as me he would’ve had Secret Service (earlier). I have by far the biggest crowds.”
Obama was placed under Secret Service protection in May 2007, the earliest of any presidential candidate in history, in part because of racially charged rhetoric that had been directed at the then-senator running to be the first black president of the United States.
Trump, who employs his own security detail, joked that there must be some partisan reason he hasn’t received protection yet.
“They’re in no rush because I’m a Republican,” he quipped.
Trump then clarified that he’s sure the Secret Service doesn’t want him or anyone else to get hurt.
“But I would think they should be very proactive and want protection for somebody like me that has 20,000 people at any time,” he said. “You would think that they would want to be very proactive, but we have not heard from them.”
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Marsha Catron told USA TODAY on Wednesday that the agency had not received an official request for protection from the Trump campaign. Once it receives a request, a determination would be made on whether to grant it after consultation with a congressional advisory committee, she said.
Trump’s private security officers have at times been a newsy presence on the campaign trail, with one guard removing a Univision anchor from a press conference in August and possibly the same officer hitting a protester outside a New York event last month.
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