From the HERE City National Desk
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he wants to turn his private golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, into a retreat for future presidents, describing it as a kind of Camp David.
Speaking during an unrelated event in the Oval Office, Trump said the idea was suggested by the Secret Service and the military. He said the Trump International Golf Club property is close to an airport and sits away from homes and tall buildings, which can pose security risks, and added that all presidents seem to play golf.
A White House official said the federal government has asked to look into developing a presidential retreat at the course so future presidents can hold important meetings there. An attorney for the club has written to Palm Beach County commissioners offering to designate it as a retreat that foreign heads of state could also use. The plan has already been submitted to local officials.
The cost of the project and who would pay for it have not been disclosed. The proposal would tie the presidency to Trump’s business interests beyond his time in office.
The same course was the site of a 2024 attempt on Trump’s life, when a Secret Service agent spotted an armed man along the perimeter fence. The man was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Past presidents have used Camp David, a rustic compound in Maryland, as a weekend retreat.