Trump asked the Secret Service to get 'these fat guys off my detail' because 'they can't run down the street,' according to new book
- Trump had qualms with the physique of some Secret Service agents, according to a new book.
- "I want these fat guys off my detail," Trump said, Washington Post reporter Carol D. Leonnig wrote.
- Trump may have mixed up office agents with those assigned to actively protect him, the book says.
President Donald Trump is not shy about sharing his opinions on people's physique, and Secret Service agents are no exception, according to a new book.
A forthcoming book by The Washington Post's Carol D. Leonnig - a coauthor of the bestselling "A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America" - says Trump once got irritated about members of the agency not being in "tippy top shape," as he would put it.
Leonnig's new book, "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service," digs into how the Trump family interacted with the agency. While the book says some agents were concerned about romances developing between their men and two Trump family members, the president was more focused on the appearance and fitness of his detail.
"I want these fat guys off my detail," Trump once said, according to an excerpt of Leonnig's book obtained by The Guardian. "How are they going to protect me and my family if they can't run down the street?"
He may have been confused about those who are assigned to office roles, as opposed agents who would normally be assigned to protect him, according to the book.
The agency has rigorous fitness standards for agents in the field, with tests involving push-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups, and a timed 1.5-mile run, according to the Secret Service's website.
To earn top marks, male agents under the age of 50 must complete the 1.5-mile run in 11 minutes and 44 seconds or less.
Prospective agents receive a points-based score for their fitness exams, which helps determine the nature of their assignments. To score any higher than "poor" on the push-ups portion of the exam, agents of all ages must complete more than 20 push-ups in a minute.
As for the romances involving agents and Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump's youngest daughter, and Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-wife, Leonnig wrote that it was unclear if the 45th president was aware of those rumors.