In a move that will cost US taxpayers millions of dollars, Donald Trump has granted additional protection to his adult children.

The Washington Post spoke to three people briefed on the plan, who said the former president instructed the US Secret Service to extend the protection to his four adult children and two of their spouses, who were not automatically entitled to receive it.

The expensive and unusual perk is expected to cost US taxpayers millions of dollars and further stress the elite federal security force.

Under the normal rules, only Trump, his wife and their 14-year-old son are entitled protection after they leave office. The couple will receive it for their lifetimes, and Barron is entitled to protection until he turns 16.

The Post reports Trump has asked for an extension on the protection of three of his key officials.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden, newly sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, has moved quickly to erase Donald Trump’s legacy by signing a series of executive orders reversing his predecessor’s policies on immigration, climate change and Covid-19.

It comes after Biden used his inaugural address to call for unity and an “end to this uncivil war”, pledging that his “whole soul” was in bringing the country together.

“Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, a cause of democracy,” Biden said after taking the oath of office. “The people, the will of the people, has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded.”

The outgoing president left the White House for the last time three hours before Biden’s inauguration today.

Trump said it had been “the honour of a lifetime” and mouthed “thank you” to the press before boarding Marine One with wife Melania.

He landed at Joint Base Andrews, where Trump was greeted by a gun salute and a group of supporters at an unprecedented farewell event. He thanked his key aides and praised his hard-working family, as well as wishing the incoming administration good luck.

But there was a notable absence. Outgoing Vice President Mike Pence skipped the event and instead attended Biden’s inauguration.

Hint at what Trump's letter said

US President Joe Biden has kept tight-lipped about the contents of the letter left for him by Donald Trump.

Apart from describing it as “very generous” the president hasn’t revealed anything else about its contents, saying he won’t talk about it until he speaks with Trump.

It has become a custom for the outgoing president to leave a message for the incoming leader.

Many of the past letters between former presidents have been published and could provide an insight into what Trump may have written.

In the letter Trump received from Barack Obama in 2017, the former president congratulated him on his win before providing him with some reflections on his eight years in office.

Obama urged his successor to remember there were many Americans who had not been blessed with the same “good fortune” as them and reminded him to “build more ladders of success” for these citizens.

He also reminded Trump they were just “temporary occupants of this office”.

“That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions—like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties—that our forebears fought and bled for,” Obama wrote.

“Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it’s up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them.”

When Obama was sworn into office in 2009, George W. Bush urged him to turn to his family and faith during trying times of his presidency.

“There will be trying moments. The critics will rage. Your “friends” will disappoint you. But, you will have an Almighty God to comfort you, a family who loves you, and a country that is pulling for you, including me,’ he wrote.

One of the more notable letters was the one Ronald Reagan wrote to George H.W. Bush in 1989.

It was titled ‘Don’t let the turkeys get you down’ and had an illustration of turkeys and an elephant at the bottom.

“You’ll have moments when you want to use this particular stationery. Well, go to it,”Reagan wrote.

“George, I treasure the memories we share and wish you all the very best. You’ll be in my prayers. God bless you and Barbara. I’ll miss our Thursday lunches.”

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