Kamala Harris 'chooses Pioneer for secret service code name' as first black woman on a presidential ticket

Kamala Harris
AFP via Getty Images
Kit Heren18 August 2020

Kamala Harris has chosen 'Pioneer' as her Secret Service code name, in a nod to becoming the first black woman on a US presidential ticket, according to reports.

The presumptive Democratic vice-presidential nominee was taken under Secret Service protection last week after presumptive presidential candidate Joe Biden asked her to become his running mate.

People being guarded by the Secret Service can choose their code name from a list drawn up by the White House and often choose names that reflect their character in some way.

Ms Harris' choice reflects her standing as the first black woman and the first Indian American woman on a presidential ticket, CNN reported. She would become the first female vice-president if Mr Biden is elected next year. No woman has served as US president.

Joe Biden with Kamala Harris
AP

Jonathan Wackrow, a former Secret Service agent, told CNN: "Over time, the protectees have almost taken on the persona of the call sign that they had selected."

"With [Barack] Obama, 'Renegade' is a great example: how he went against the establishment in some of the things that he had done, and like Barbara Bush, whose call sign was 'Tranquillity,' embodied the tranquillity and peacefulness in a time of war."

Spouses' and other family members' code names must start with the same letter.

Joe Biden's code name is reportedly Celtic, while Jill Biden's is Capri. Donald Trump's code name is Mogul, while his wife Melania Trump's moniker is Muse.

A member of the US Secret Service standing guard next to Donald Trump 
REUTERS

Michelle Obama goes by Renaissance to husband Barack's Renegade, while vice-president Mike Pence's Hoosier - the nickname for people from his home state of Indiana - is matched by his wife Karen Pence's Hummingbird.

The Secret Service is a federal agency that was set up in 1865 to stop people counterfeiting money. It was not until more than a century later after a spate of political murders that Secret Service agents became political bodyguards "to maintain the integrity of the democratic process," the agency's website says.

Vice-presidents continue to be protected by Secret Service agents for six months after they leave office.

Presidents get protection from the Secret Service for their entire lifetime if they want it, according to the agency's website.