Ivanka Trump celebrated her 45th birthday in style, and U.S. taxpayers are on the hook for at least $100,000 to pay for her security.
The president’s daughter slipped away to Marrakech, Morocco, for what local media called a “private retreat” just days before her father’s party suffered sweeping midterm losses and coinciding with her birthday, the Daily Mail reported. She was seen walking through the city on Oct. 29, a day before she turned 45.
Keeping her safe didn’t come cheap, according to the report. Contracting records obtained by the outlet show the Secret Service booked rooms at "two of the city’s most exclusive hotels" for its advance teams. The agency paid $59,543 on Oct. 21 for space at the five-star Sofitel Marrakech to prepare for a “VVIP” arrival. A day later, it spent $33,457 at La Mamounia, the "legendary hotel once frequented by Winston Churchill" and, more recently, the Kardashians.
The records don’t mention Ivanka by name. However, she was the only Secret Service protectee known to be in Morocco then, and the same database routinely uses “VVIP” for members of the Trump family.
According to the Mail, "The combined $93,000 hotel bill does not include agents' salaries, flights, meals or local transportation. A spokesperson for Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, said they did not have an immediate comment."
Ivanka, worth "an estimated $50 million to $100 million," left her White House adviser role behind after her father’s first term, the report notes. Kushner, her husband, still plays a part in Trump’s Middle East diplomacy, including plans for rebuilding Gaza. Their spokesperson offered no immediate comment. She was back in the U.S. by Election Day.
The Secret Service would say only that “from a Secret Service standpoint, we’re always with our protectees,” the Daily Mail reported.