AP Photo Trump and Carson request Secret Service protection

Donald Trump and Ben Carson, the two candidates dominating in the GOP polls, have requested Secret Service protection, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“The Department of Homeland Security has now received official requests for Secret Service protection from both the Carson and Trump campaigns and has taken them under review pursuant to the statutorily required process,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Todd Breasseale told POLITICO in a statement.


The authorization for Secret Service protection isn’t determined by the Secret Service, which told POLITICO on Monday there were no immediate plans for protection. Instead, DHS makes the call after consulting with a congressional advisory committee.

The committee “includes the speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, and one additional member selected by the aforementioned committee,” Breasseale said.

Before his campaign made the formal request, Trump told The Hill he should be receiving protection, and he blamed partisan politics for not having received the security detail earlier.

“I want to put them on notice because they should have a liability,” he 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.”

“They’re in no rush because I’m a Republican. They don’t give a s---,” Trump said jokingly, before clarifying. “Of course I don’t think they’d want anything to happen. But I would think they should be very proactive and want protection for somebody like me that has 20,000 people at any time.”

Spokespeople for Trump and Carson did not respond to requests for comment.