Does Malia Obama have Secret Service protection at Harvard University?

Malia Obama, the oldest daughter of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, is studying at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts after taking a gap year. There are speculations and much concern about whether the 19-year-old college student has Secret Service protection while she is attending school

Reason for concern

The reason for the concern didn't just pop up out of the blue. Whether she has Secret Service protection is questioned based on a law her own father signed in 2013 when he was the President of the United States.

At the time, he probably didn't realize how much it would affect his own daughter today.

If Malia has government protection, it would be an exception to the bill former President Obama signed that listed who would be protected after a president leaves the White House. The bill that was passed into law indicated clearly that lifetime Secret Service protection would be for former presidents, first ladies, and children of former presidents until they become 16 years old.

Based on the law Obama signed, Malia should not have federal protection unless there is an exception. Because of the bad things that are happening on college campuses today, she should have some type of security, but does she?

Exceptions to the law

Exceptions have been made to the law. Both former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush authorized extended protection for their daughters after they were no longer protected by the federal government even though they were adults. Chelsea Clinton and the Bush twins' situations were different because they were college students while their fathers were still in office.

That might have been a good explanation for their extension of protection.

What about Malia?

It is unknown if Obama requested an extension like Clinton and Bush did for their daughters. However, he could have done so. This was discussed last year when Malia decided to delay school for one year. The Washington Post wrote that she would not have Secret Service protection because she would be older than 16 and she didn't enter college while she was already under protection.

So, does she have protection or not?

Tiffany Trump enrolled at Georgetown University Law Center last August at the age of 23. Her father is in the White House. Therefore, her situation is much different from Malia's. The difference lies in the fact that Malia didn't go to college while her father was in office.

No one knows for sure if Malia has Secret Service protection or not. As protective as her parents are, she might have some kind of security whether it is from the government or some other agency.