US President Donald Trump is backing a proposal to transform part of his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, into a permanent presidential retreat modelled on Camp David.
Under the proposal submitted to Palm Beach County officials, a section of the private golf property would be made available for a presidential residence and facilities designed for use by current and future US presidents. The site could also host international summits and provide accommodation for visiting foreign dignitaries.
Trump has said the golf club would cover the construction costs as a “gift” to Americans and future presidents. The proposal also includes complimentary club memberships for future US presidents, while the private golf operation would continue on the remaining property.
Trump’s legal representative, Harvey Oyer, presented the project as an institution that could eventually become internationally recognised alongside established presidential and state retreats such as Camp David, Windsor Castle and the Élysée Palace. The proposal requires Palm Beach County, which owns the land on which the golf course operates, to make a portion available to the federal government. County officials are reviewing the proposal and have sought further information, including from the US General Services Administration.
The proposed Florida retreat would differ considerably from Camp David, the established US presidential retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains. Camp David has served presidents since the 1940s and has also been used for high-level diplomatic engagements with foreign leaders.
Trump has frequently spent private and presidential downtime at properties connected to his business interests and has been less inclined to use Camp David than several previous presidents. The West Palm Beach golf course itself has also attracted heightened security attention following an assassination attempt against Trump at the property in September 2024.
The proposal could nevertheless generate debate over the relationship between presidential responsibilities and privately owned commercial property. While Trump says the construction would be funded as a gift, the arrangement would place an official presidential facility alongside a private golf operation that remains connected to his business interests.
Palm Beach County commissioners have not yet approved the proposal, meaning the plan remains under consideration rather than an established replacement for Camp David.
Donald Trump proposes transforming his Florida golf club into a presidential retreat modelled on Camp David, offering free memberships to future presidents and accommodation for foreign dignitaries.
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