First Ladies Get Some Pretty Regular Company After Their Spouse Leaves Office

At this point, pretty much everyone knows being president of the United States comes with special perks and privileges, like living in the White House and having access to your own basketball court, swimming pool, movie theater, and more. Of course, one of the most important privileges that comes with being president is having your own security detail — the Secret Service — even after your term is over. But what about the presidents’ spouse? Do first ladies get Secret Service for life? Here’s how former first ladies are staying safe.

According to the original Former Presidents Act passed in 1958, presidents were entitled to a lifetime Secret Service detail for themselves, their spouses, and any children under 16. However, that changed in 1994, when a statute was enacted that limited Secret Service protection to only 10 years for presidents who took office after Jan. 1, 1997. But in 2013, that statute was changed again when President Barack Obama signed the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012, and officially reinstated lifetime protection from the Secret Service for all former presidents, as well as their spouses and children. (The one exception is if a president’s spouse gets remarried — after the remarriage, the protection expires.)

So it’s not just the president that gets a lifetime security detail — it’s his wife and children, too. Surprisingly, things can get pretty fun when you have your own Secret Service team: throughout history, the Secret Service has been known to give first ladies secret code names to identify them by. Hillary Clinton was known as “Evergreen,” Michelle Obama was known as “Renaissance,” and Melania Trump was known as “Muse.” So while having a security detail follow you around 24/7 is bound to get pretty annoying for these current and former first ladies, at least they get a cool nickname out of it.

For a former first family, maintaining a lifetime security detail can be incredibly important. After all, even after a presidents’ time in office is over, the former first lady can still pursue her own political initiatives. To point, Hillary Clinton went on to serve in the U.S. Senate, became Secretary of State, and ran for U.S. president after her husband’s time in office was over. Through all of it, she relied on her Secret Service detail to keep her safe. So if you’re still wondering whether or not first ladies get protection from the Secret Service for life, the answer is a solid yes — for now, at least.