US taxpayers were left with a $93,000 hotel bill for Secret Service agents assigned to protect Ivanka Trump during a private trip to Morocco around her 45th birthday.
Federal procurement records obtained by the Daily Mail show that two contracts were issued in October to accommodate security personnel preparing for the visit to Marrakech.
The first contract, worth $59,543, was awarded on October 21 for rooms at the five-star Sofitel Marrakech.
The booking was intended for an advance team preparing for the arrival of a ‘VVIP’, according to the records.
A second contract worth $33,457 followed on October 22, covering accommodation for another Secret Service team at the luxurious La Mamounia hotel.
Although neither contract identifies Ivanka by name, she is the only known Secret Service protectee to have visited Morocco during that period.
Members of the Trump family are also routinely classified as ‘VVIPs’ in government procurement records.
The combined accommodation expenses do not include agents’ salaries, flights, meals or local transportation costs.
Ivanka spotted exploring Marrakech ahead of her birthday
The former White House adviser was photographed walking through Marrakech on October 29, one day before turning 45.
Local outlet Le360 described her visit as a private retreat, reporting that she was seen exploring the city’s famous souks in an ivory-coloured outfit and wide-brimmed sunhat.
Ivanka, who has three children with husband Jared Kushner, was also spotted walking through Jemaa El-Fna square alongside other travellers.
She reportedly returned to the United States in time for election day, although the reason for her Moroccan visit was not disclosed.
Ivanka has travelled to Morocco on previous occasions.
In 2019, she visited the country on an official diplomatic mission focused on promoting women’s rights.
She returned in 2022 for a family holiday.
Family source defends security arrangements
A source close to the Trump family defended Ivanka’s use of Secret Service protection, pointing out that the president’s children and grandchildren are entitled to security coverage.
The source also referred to an alleged assassination threat against Ivanka linked to Iran.
‘The Iranians said they wanted to kill her, wouldn’t you want the best protection possible?’ the source told the Daily Mail.
The remarks referenced a report published in May alleging that an Iraqi militant linked to Iran had threatened to assassinate Ivanka in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.
A representative for Ivanka and Kushner said they did not have an immediate comment on the hotel expenditure.
The US Secret Service also declined to discuss the specific arrangements for the trip. A spokesperson said: ‘From a Secret Service standpoint, we’re always with our protectees.’
Five-star hotels offered luxury accommodation
The two properties selected for the security teams are among Marrakech’s most prestigious hotels.
The Sofitel, situated a short distance from Jemaa El-Fna square, offers five swimming pools and a traditional Moroccan hammam.
Standard rooms and junior suites reportedly cost between $315 and $660 per night, while premium suites and penthouses can exceed $5,300.
La Mamounia, located approximately three minutes’ walk from the Sofitel, is an 18th-century palace that once belonged to Morocco’s royal family.
Its accommodation rates start at around $440 per night for standard rooms, while private riads, or traditional villas, can cost more than $8,600.
The hotel has hosted prominent guests, including Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and members of the Kardashian family.
Its four restaurants include L’Asiatique by Jean-Georges, where a two-course Peking duck meal is priced at 2,500 Moroccan dirhams, approximately $680.
Ivanka no longer holds an official government position
Ivanka previously served as a senior adviser to her father during his first presidency but no longer holds an official role in the US government.
Her husband, however, remains involved in Donald Trump’s Middle East initiatives, including proposals for Gaza’s reconstruction and plans for post-war governance.
Federal law allows the Secret Service to protect the sitting president’s immediate family, including adult children, regardless of whether they occupy government positions.
However, government accountability advocates have previously questioned the cost of providing security for wealthy members of the Trump family during private holidays and business trips.
Scott Amey of the Project on Government Oversight argued in 2020 that the family could afford to reimburse taxpayers for the expenses associated with their protection.
The Trump family has also faced scrutiny over reports that one of the president’s hotels charged the Secret Service rates as much as 300 per cent above the authorised government per diem.
Previous Trump family trips generated substantial security bills
Ivanka and Kushner’s Moroccan holiday is not the first personal trip by members of the family to generate substantial Secret Service accommodation expenses.
In 2018, the couple’s holiday in the Dominican Republic cost American taxpayers nearly $60,000 in hotel fees for their security personnel.
A year earlier, their family skiing holiday in Vancouver, Canada, resulted in a $59,654 hotel bill for Secret Service agents, alongside another $6,884 for multi-day ski passes.
The president’s sons have also attracted attention over government-funded security arrangements connected to their business activities.
In 2025, the Secret Service spent more than $40,000 on rental vehicles and hotel accommodation as Eric Trump and other family members travelled to Qatar and Saudi Arabia to pursue business deals.
The expenditure occurred during a government shutdown that left thousands of federal employees without work for 43 days.
Morocco trip coincided with Republican midterm defeat
Ivanka’s visit took place just days before Republicans suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections.
Voter dissatisfaction over rising living costs, government spending and the war in Iran contributed to a major setback for Trump’s party.
Democrats secured victories in both chambers of Congress, flipping Senate seats in traditionally Republican states, including Texas, Kansas and South Carolina.
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the scale of the defeat on Wednesday, conceding that some voters who supported Trump in 2024 had switched sides over concerns about inflation, the cost of living and the war.
Trump addressed the election results during his first public appearance following the losses, but initially focused on his planned $600 million White House ballroom.
He praised the project’s proposed marble floors, Corinthian columns and bulletproof glass before signing a steel beam that construction workers subsequently lifted into position.
Addressing the Republican defeat afterwards, Trump suggested the results would have been different if he had personally contested the election.
‘If I was on the ballot, we would have won,’ he said. ‘We weren’t able to transfer the love to candidates.’
Trump family security costs face renewed scrutiny
The latest hotel expenditure adds to previous questions surrounding the cost of protecting members of the president’s family during personal travel.
After leaving the White House in 2021, Trump extended Secret Service protection for his family by six months.
When he returned to office in 2025, he ended the security details assigned to former President Joe Biden’s adult children, Hunter and Ashley.
Meanwhile, Trump’s own family members have continued to receive protection during private holidays and international business trips, with accommodation and transportation expenses covered through government security arrangements.
