Vanessa Trump Sparked Romance Rumors With An Ex-Secret Service Agent
Vanessa Trump and Donald Trump Jr.'s marriage came to a screeching halt in March 2018 when she filed for divorce after 13 years of marriage. He quickly moved on. News of Donald Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle's relationship broke before the divorce was even finalized. Still, Vanessa didn't spend any time moping over her ex-husband. She is rumored to have quickly moved on herself and has sparked rumors of a romance with an ex-Secret Service agent who acted as a bodyguard during Donald Trump's time in the White House.
News of the alleged romance first surfaced in Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Carol Leonnig's 2021 book "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service." In it, she claimed, "Secret Service agents reported that Vanessa Trump had begun dating one of the agents who had been assigned to her family." It's unknown when the supposed relationship actually started. However, it may have been before it was announced Vanessa was divorcing Donald Jr.
The oldest Trump offspring apparently requested an end to his Secret Service protection — against the agency's advice — in September 2017 because he wanted more privacy. "It's just a stupid decision," an insider told CNN. It was also a curious decision, given that Donald Jr. had been more than happy to be shadowed 24-7 just months before. According to documents obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Secret Service protection for Donald Jr. and his brother, Eric Trump, cost taxpayers $250,000 in February 2017 alone.
Vanessa reignites the rumors
Carol Leonnig claims in her book "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service" (via The Guardian) that Vanessa Trump got "inappropriately — and perhaps dangerously — close" to an unnamed bodyguard during Donald Trump's time in office. It's not known if former President Donald Trump was aware of their relationship. However, he did request that some Secret Service agents be removed from the White House. Not for any reasons related to Vanessa's behavior, though.
According to Leonnig, Donald objected to their physiques. "I want these fat guys off my detail," he reportedly demanded. "How are they going to protect me and my family if they can't run down the street?"
Vanessa never confirmed or denied the supposed relationship written about by Leonnig, but the rumor mill reignited in February 2024 after she was snapped with one of her former Secret Service agents. The Daily Mail obtained photos of the couple driving together in West Palm Beach. The man sat by Vanessa's side as she left her property with her son, Tristan, in the back of the car. It's unknown if he was acting in a professional capacity. Still, if he were, his salary would no longer be funded by taxpayers. As Donald's former daughter-in-law, Vanessa is not entitled to Secret Service protection.
Tiffany Trump, too, apparently
Vanessa Trump wasn't the only family member rumored to have gotten close to a Secret Service agent. Carol Leonnig alleges in her book, "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service," (via The Guardian) that Tiffany Trump "began spending an unusual amount of time alone with a Secret Service agent on her detail" following a breakup. Agency bigwigs reportedly "became concerned at how close Tiffany appeared to be getting to the tall, dark, and handsome agent." The unnamed man was apparently reassigned by his superiors.
Tiffany vehemently denied Leonnig's claims. "This is nothing more than gossip and is simply not true," a spokeswoman said in a statement to The Washington Post in May 2021. "Tiffany's experience with the Secret Service was entirely professional."
Vanessa hasn't been romantically linked to anybody else since splitting from Donald Trump Jr. However, she's surprisingly supportive of her ex-husband's relationship with Kimberly Guilfoyle. Vanessa jumped to her successor's defense in June 2018 after detractors demanded Guilfoyle be fired from her role as a Fox News host because of her Trump ties. "The lengths people will go to attack a woman simply because she's dating Don," Vanessa posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We've been separated for over nine months and respect each other's decisions & privacy. We'll focus on raising our great kids. Would be nice if the press did the same rather than obsess over our pvt lives!"