Chelsea Clinton Caused Chaos For The Secret Service By Ordering Pizza To The White House

Presidential kids have to follow a lot of rules and are also subjected to a tremendous amount of scrutiny. Malia and Sasha Obama's partners and first jobs made headline news throughout their father's presidency (and beyond), Tricia Nixon's White House wedding was dissected down to the hemline of her dress, and Chelsea Clinton's college move-in was peppered with paparazzi.

"I've had so much vitriol flung at me for as long as I can literally remember, people saying awful things to me even as a child," Chelsea Clinton once told The Guardian, adding that she believes in taking the high road. "To retaliate with crass language or insult someone personally – I just don't think I'm built that way." 

Chelsea moved into the White House with her mother, Hillary Clinton, and father, former president Bill Clinton, when she was just 12. Although she was the ideal first daughter in many ways, receiving A+ grades, attending Stanford, and ultimately becoming an adjunct professor at Columbia University, she did have a few moments of mischief. Mostly, they involved pizza.

Sometimes, pizza is the perfect antidote to the everyday stressors that come with being a teen. When Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton appeared on an episode of "The Late Late Show With James Corden," the host asked the former first lady to name "the most mischievous thing Chelsea did as a teenager in the White House." Her response? Chelsea and her high school friends would order pizza delivered directly to the Executive Residence. "It kept causing all kinds of commotion with the secret service," explained Hillary, adding, "You'd get calls, you know, 'there's a guy down here who says he's delivering pizza to the White House.'" 

Teenage rebellions are a little tricky when you have the eyes of the nation (and the Secret Service) on you. With the exception of the pizza incident, though, former security has confirmed that Chelsea behaved responsibly while living in the White House. The Bush twins? Not so much.

According to the Secret Service, they're required to protect the president and vice president along with their immediate families. Leading up to election season, they also guard certain presidential candidates, and, until former first children turn 16, they get protection, too. All in all, there are thousands of trained guards keeping an eye out for Washington's elite.

Although pizza delivery might be a no-go, there are definitely upsides to White House life. For instance, Gerald Ford's daughter, Susan, was able to use it as the venue for her senior prom in 1975. "It's really fun and hasn't been done since," she remembered in a conversation with People, adding, "It was kind of a fluke deal — I wasn't on the Prom committee, but they came to me at some point and said, 'Can we have it at the White House?' So I went and talked to the head usher and he said, 'Yes, as long as you all pay the expenses.'" That being said, Susan also described being tracked by the Secret Service as "a teenager's worst nightmare." It's hard to sneak out of a window and head to a house party when you're the president's kid.

Given the unique experience of growing up in the White House, it's no surprise that many former first children stay in touch. They've been able to connect regardless of their parent's politics, comparing memories of the historic house and sharing stories about the staff members they befriended while living there. Mostly, they all understand what it's like to be thrust into the public eye at a young age. If there's a multi-generational first children group chat, we'd like to get a peek inside...