So every president is going to cost a lot of money wherever they go. And the estimates for the cost of that trip. And, you know, I wrote about President Obama taking a trip to Africa, which featured a little bit of vacation and a little bit of work. On how former President Donald Trump's golf trips cost the Secret ServiceĮvery president that travels is taking a small city with him wherever he goes. Politics Secret Service Agents Frustrated With Trump's Unnecessary Coronavirus Risks

Leonnig says the mission is made all the more challenging by the fact that the Secret Service is understaffed, underfunded and often working with outdated technology and inadequate training. The Secret Service is also charged with investigating financial crimes, such as counterfeit money. political leaders and their family members as well as visiting heads of state. In her new book, Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service, Leonnig charts the agency's 'chronic, ridiculously large mission,' which includes protecting U.S. Sometimes seen wearing crisp suits, sunglasses and ear pieces, the agents charged with protecting the president present a striking visual.īut Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post investigative reporter Carol Leonnig says the Secret Service itself is something of a mess. Secret Service snipers watch on a rooftop as then-President Barack Obama speaks at a 2012 campaign rally in Concord, N.H.Įvery time the president of the United States travels, he's accompanied by a cadre of Secret Service agents.

Carol leonnig book on secret service