Lavish Birthday at Taxpayers’ Expense: Ivanka Trump’s Security in Morocco Cost $93,000

American taxpayers may have been left footing a bill of nearly $100,000 to provide security for Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka during her lavish trip to Morocco for her 45th birthday. According to newly released federal records, accommodation for Secret Service agents at five-star hotels alone cost the government $93,000.

As reported by the Daily Mail, rooms at two luxury hotels were booked for Secret Service agents shortly before Ivanka’s arrival in Marrakech. A $59,543 contract was awarded on October 21 to accommodate her security detail at the five-star Sofitel hotel. The following day, another contract worth $33,457 was issued for agents staying at the iconic La Mamounia hotel.

The latter is a favorite among international celebrities. Elton John, Nicole Kidman, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton have all stayed there over the years. Rates for some of the private riads on the property exceed $8,600 a night.

Ivanka’s name does not appear directly in the documents. However, according to the publication, she was the only known person under Secret Service protection to have visited Morocco during that period.

Local media spotted the president’s daughter in Marrakech on October 29, just days before the US midterm elections. According to the Moroccan news outlet Le360, Ivanka strolled through the city’s historic quarters, including the El Ksour district, and visited the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square. Photographs published at the time showed her wearing sunglasses and a hat, with her phone in hand.

Notably, relatives of Donald Trump are routinely referred to as “VVIPs” — very, very important persons — in the federal government’s contract database.

The $93,000 covers accommodation for the security detail alone. It does not include Secret Service agents’ salaries, airfare, meals or ground transportation.

Representatives for Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. However, a source close to the family told the publication that government protection is provided to every child and grandchild of the president.

The source declined to disclose the reason for Ivanka’s trip to Morocco, saying only that she had returned to the US in time for the midterm elections. Moroccan media described the visit as a private vacation.

A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail that agency personnel accompany everyone under their protection but declined to comment on the details of the trip.

The latest revelations about security costs come amid criticism of Ivanka over photographs from another lavish birthday celebration in Virginia. Social media users accused her of flaunting her wealth and being out of touch with ordinary Americans as the US cost-of-living crisis worsens, a situation they say has been exacerbated by her father’s war with Iran.

On that occasion, Ivanka stayed at the five-star Inn at Little Washington, home to The Dining Room, a restaurant awarded two Michelin stars.