Secret Service Agents Are Frustrated With VP JD Vance’s Last-Minute Family Trips

What Happened With the Golf Lesson Helicopter Ride?

Last Thursday, Secret Service agents were getting ready to do something special for Vice President JD Vance’s family: they were going to put his young son on a military helicopter so he could fly to his golf lesson.

• The helicopter is called Marine Two (that’s the nickname for the U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that carries the vice president).
• Vance planned to go with his son on the flight to Joint Base Andrews (a military base that has a safe, top-quality golf center).
• The trip was canceled at the last minute because of bad weather — severe thunderstorms and high winds near Washington, D.C.

Important Point: There is no official rule saying the Secret Service can’t use a government helicopter for a vice president’s child to go to a local event. But former and current Secret Service leaders say this has never been done before.

Why Are the Agents Unhappy?

The agents complained about the helicopter ride for an elementary school student. This shows a bigger problem: the team protecting Vance and his young family is feeling low in morale (meaning they’re unhappy and tired).

• Agents say Vance and his office ask for trips and tasks that some think are wrong or never done before compared to past vice presidents.
• They are “fed up” with last-minute travel demands from Vance and his wife, Usha Vance.
• The Vances are the first family with young kids living at the Naval Observatory (the VP’s home) since Al Gore’s family over 25 years ago.

What Are “Off the Record” Trips?

Inside the Secret Service, quickly planned trips are called “off the record” movements (or OTR for short).

• These happen when plans change suddenly.
• Agents must cancel days off, drop their plans, and rush to where they’re needed.
• They have to make safety plans super fast.
• Doing this again and again makes agents tired and hurts team morale.

One person said: “They change everything. They don’t stick to their schedules, and that costs a lot of taxpayer money.”

How Much Does the Helicopter Cost?

The White House Military Office (which works for the president) must say “yes” before the helicopter can be used for the golf lesson.

• Flying the helicopter costs taxpayers about $16,000 to $24,600 per hour (based on 2022 Defense Department numbers).
• One person with knowledge of the golf plan said: “That is RIDICULOUS. Pence and Harris never pulled anything like that.”

Other Last-Minute Trips

The Vances recently made several sudden helicopter trips near Middleburg, Virginia, to look for houses to buy or rent for their growing family.

• They have three kids (ages 9, 6, and 4).
• They announced the second lady is expecting a fourth child late this month.

Past vice presidents usually told the Secret Service about travel days ahead, especially for family, and gave hours of warning for changes.

What Did the Vance Office Say?

The vice president’s office gave this statement:

“The Vances are grateful to the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who serve our country with distinction. While protecting a Vice President with a large policy portfolio and a young and growing family presents a unique challenge, agents of the Secret Service do so with excellence every day.”

An administration official said last-minute changes are just part of the VP job and can’t always be avoided. They also said most past VP families didn’t have young kids, so this is a new kind of challenge.

Secret Service Leadership Response

Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said protecting leaders means agents must be flexible:

“When U.S. Secret Service Special Agents choose to join a protective detail, they understand the commitment required: long hours, frequent travel, and the need for constant flexibility… This is a job that requires absolute dedication and discipline.”

Bigger Agency Problems

The Secret Service has been understaffed for a long time.

• Agents work a lot of extra hours.
• Sometimes less-experienced staff must lead security (like at the 2024 rally where someone almost hurt then-candidate Trump).
• One person said the Vances “are trying to live a normal, ‘organic’ life,” which is hard with security needs.

The Funny (But Serious) Bobcat Coins

Agents made custom coins and stickers to joke about the last-minute trips, using Vance’s code name: “Bobcat.”

• The coins show a bobcat head and say: “Bobcat OTR Survivors Club.”
• The motto is: “Advance. OTR. Repeat.” (meaning: plan a trip, then suddenly change it and rush again).
• These coins are a tradition in police/military groups to laugh about hard jobs and bond.
• “Bobcat” was chosen because it’s the mascot of Ohio University and a Kentucky high school tied to Vance’s childhood.

What Vance and the Second Lady Say

• Vance joked in a July podcast that his life changed a lot: people shop and cook for him, and he skips airport lines. But he also said you must be careful not to become “an entitled asshole.”
• The second lady said in June they try to pick church times/locations that bother the public less (since motorcades block streets).

Summary

Vice President JD Vance’s family often makes sudden, last-minute travel requests using government resources like helicopters. Secret Service agents say this is unprecedented, costly, and hurts morale—especially since the agency is already short-staffed. Past VP families didn’t have young kids, making this a new test. Agents even made “Bobcat OTR” coins to cope. The Vance office thanks agents but says protecting a young family is just different.

FAQ

Q: What is Marine Two?
A: It’s the call-sign (nickname) for the U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that carries the vice president.

Q: Is it illegal to fly a VP’s child to golf in a government helicopter?
A: No formal rule forbids it, but Secret Service leaders say it has no precedent and past VPs used cars for kids’ local trips.

Q: Why are agents so tired?
A: Because of frequent “off the record” last-minute trips, understaffing, and having to cancel personal plans to rush to protect the family.

Q: What does “OTR” mean?
A: “Off the record” movement—a suddenly planned trip with little notice for the security team.

Q: Why is Vance called “Bobcat”?
A: It’s his Secret Service code name, based on schools from his youth that use the bobcat as a mascot.