Donald Trump is drawing "by far the biggest crowds" for his appearances, and he wants to know why he isn't being provided with Secret Service protection like President Barack Obama was at this point in his first campaign, suggesting partisan politics are in play.
“I want to put them on notice because they should have a liability,” the GOP frontrunner told
The Hill. “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, who was still an Illinois senator during the 2008 presidential campaign, received Secret Service protection on May 3, 2007, with law enforcement officials saying that the protection was not granted about any specific threats.
Trump says the Secret Service has not said if or when it will give him protection, telling The Hill that "they're in no rush because I'm a Republican. They don't give a s*it."
However, he said he does not think they 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."
A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said the department has not gotten an official request from the Trump camp, but if one comes, Secret Service agents would only be provided after discussion that includes House and Senate leaders.
There are
guidelines, though, before a detail is assigned. Candidates must be active in at least 10 primaries, score high in polls, and have contributions of at least $10 million.
But not all candidates will need paid security details, as sitting governors Scott Walker, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Bobby Jindal already have full-time security teams who are paid from state funds.
In July, Trump
added to his private security detail after a Twitter threat from Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who remains at large after his prison escape earlier this year.
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