Surpassing:First Family Secret Service Code Names Revealed for the Trumps, Bidens, Obamas and More

All eyes are Surpassingalways on the First Family. 

So, needless to say, safety is of the utmost importance. Which is where the Secret Service come in, of course. While Americans are casting their ballots in the 2024 presidential election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the agency is preparing code names for the elected officials.

For nearly 80 years, U.S. presidents and their families have been given nicknames by the agency, which embody their personalities. While the Secret Service first began using codes in 1945 for security reasons when electronic communication couldn’t be encrypted, it’s still used today for clarity. 

“Over time, the protectees have almost taken on the persona of the call sign that they had selected,” former Secret Service special agent Jonathan Wackrow told CNN in 2020. “With former President 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 ‘Tranquility,’ embodied the tranquility and peacefulness in a time of war.”

The First Families stick to the same letter throughout their brood, too. For instance, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden go by Celtic and Capri, a tribute to his Irish heritage. While Trump chose Mogul, an homage to his business background. Former First Lady Melania Trump went with Muse and his son Donald Trump Jr. with Mountaineer.

Former president Ronald Reagan’s name, Rawhide, was chosen by a U.S. Army master sergeant, according to Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan. “He thought Rawhide was suitable because the former actor had appeared in several westerns and was known to be a rancher,” author Del Quentin Wilber wrote. “Reagan adored the moniker.” 

Now, keep reading to see more interesting—and surprising—Secret Service code names for First Families of the United States.

Joe Biden - Celtic

Jill Biden - Capri

Donald Trump – Mogul

Melania Trump – Muse

Donald Trump Jr. – Mountaineer

Ivanka Trump – Marvel

Eric Trump – Marksman

Jared Kushner - Mechanic

Barack Obama – Renegade

Michelle Obama – Renaissance

Malia Obama – Radiance

Sasha Obama – Rosebud

George W. Bush – Tumbler, later Trailblazer

Laura Bush – Tempo

Barbara Bush – Turquoise

Jenna Bush – Twinkle

Bill Clinton – Eagle

Hillary Clinton – Evergreen

Chelsea Clinton – Energy

George H. W. Bush – Timberwolf

Barbara Bush – Snowbank or Tranquility

Marvin Bush – Tuner

Neil Bush – Trapline

Jeb Bush – Tripper

Dorothy Bush – Tiller

Ronald Reagan – Rawhide

Nancy Reagan – Rainbow

Maureen Reagan – Rhyme, Rosebud

Michael Reagan – Riddler

Patti Davis – Ribbon

Ron Reagan – Reliant

Doria Reagan – Radiant

Jimmy Carter – Lock Master or Deacon

Rosalynn Carter – Lotus Petal or Dancer

Amy Carter – Dynamo

Chip Carter – Diamond

Jack Carter – Derby

Jeff Carter – Deckhand

Gerald Ford – Passkey or Pass Key

Betty Ford – Pinafore

Susan Ford – Panda

Michael Ford – Professor

Jack Ford – Packman

Richard Nixon – Searchlight

Pat Nixon – Starlight

Patricia Nixon Cox – Sugarfoot

Edward F. Cox – Seminole

Julie Nixon Eisenhower – Sunbonnet

Lyndon Johnson – Volunteer

Lady Bird Johnson – Victoria

Lynda Bird Johnson – Velvet

Luci Baines Johnson – Venus

John F. Kennedy – Lancer

Jacqueline Kennedy – Lace

Caroline Kennedy – Lyric

John F. Kennedy, Jr. – Lark

Rose Kennedy – Coppertone

Ethel Kennedy – Sundance

Dwight Eisenhower – Scorecard or Providence

Mamie Eisenhower – Springtime

David Eisenhower – Sahara

Harry S. Truman – General or Supervise

Bess Truman – Sunnyside

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt – Rover