The Secret Service, responsible for protecting the president, faces an unprecedented challenge if Donald Trump, whom they are legally obligated to protect, is convicted and imprisoned. The agency has begun planning for this possibility, including considering how to move and protect Trump if he were to be held in contempt of court and briefly jailed. However, the more substantial challenge of incarcerating a former president has yet to be directly addressed.
Protecting Trump in prison would require keeping him separate from other inmates, screening his food and personal items, and providing a detail of agents for 24/7 protection. Closed or partially closed prisons could potentially be used to accommodate the former president and his security detail.
Despite the legal requirement to protect former presidents, the Secret Service declined to discuss specific protective operations. The trial in Manhattan, focusing on accusations of falsified records to cover up a sex scandal, could result in a sentence ranging from probation to four years in state prison, though such a term would be unusual for a first-time offender of Trump’s age.
The Secret Service is preparing for the possibility of Trump’s conviction and imprisonment, but the full extent of the challenges involved remains unclear, particularly given the likelihood of a lengthy appeals process.