Published 13:30 IST, January 1st 2021
Biden to get new Secret Service team amid concerns over agents' loyalty to Trump: Report
Joe Biden is expected to get a fresh Secret Service team which is more familiar to him and replacing some of the agents over concerns of Trump loyalty.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to get a fresh Secret Service team which is more familiar to him and replacing some of the agents over concerns that they might be politically allied to the outgoing US President Donald Trump. US media reports cited sources in law enforcement that the new agents in the team meant to protect the President of the United States will be the ones that have worked with Biden when he was the vice president in Barack Obama’s administration.
As per reports, it is not unusual for presidents to change the details of the agents according to who are more familiar. However, these moves come at a time when tension is clouding the US politics with Trump continuing to falsely claim that his second term is being ‘stolen’ by Biden as President-elect readies to take over the White House on January 20. The staffing changes were first reported by the Washington Post on December 31 amid concerns that some agents might be politically faithful to Trump.
Moreover, it has also been reported that some presidential detail members were asked to not wear any facemasks amid COVID-19 pandemic out of loyalty to the US President who ‘didn’t like the way they looked’. A former Secret Service executive told the paper that the staffing changes were “smart” decision in a bid to “give the incoming president the comfort of the familiar”. The Media outlet quotes its source saying, “You want him to be with people he knows and trusts, and who also know how he operates.”
Biden eyes 'brighter future' for US
Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden and the incoming First Lady Jill Biden rang in the new year as part of ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ with Ryan Seacrest 2021 and gave their last interview of 2020. While talking about the upcoming year, Joe Biden said that he is ‘optimistic’ about the bright future of the United States. Further, when asked about the COVID-19 vaccine, that both Joe and Jill have already taken, the First Lady-elect said that all Americans ‘have to take it’ and ensured that it doesn’t hurt.
I’m absolutely, positively confident - confident - we're going to come back and we're going to come back even stronger than before," said Biden, who will take the office on January 20.
Updated 13:28 IST, January 1st 2021