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FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida: President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he wants to develop one of his Florida golf courses into a presidential retreat where his successors can spend quiet weekends on the greens, describing it as \u201csort of a Camp David \u201d that he says would already have many of the security features needed to host presidents and world leaders.<\/p>\n
The proposal for the retreat on Trump\u2019s private golf course in West Palm Beach would comingle the presidency with Trump\u2019s business ventures beyond his time in office, and is the the latest example of Trump seeking ways to leave his imprint on the presidency.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great idea, and it\u2019ll be used a lot,\u201d Trump said, claiming it was suggested by the United States Secret Service. \u201cIt seems that all presidents play golf.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plan has already been submitted to local officials. Trump, an avid golfer, rattled off the benefits of the property a short drive from his Mar-a-Lago home during an unrelated event in the Oval Office, noting that it\u2019s close to an airport and has some distance from residential homes and tall buildings, which pose security risks.<\/p>\n
He did not mention that the golf course was the site of an unsuccessful attempt on his life in 2024. Trump was playing at the Trump International Golf Club during a break from the campaign trail when a Secret Service agent spotted an armed man in the trees lining the club\u2019s perimeter fence. The man was arrested after a chase and later convicted of trying to kill Trump, and was sentenced to life in prison.<\/p>\n
Past presidents have used Camp David, a rustic compound in Maryland, as a weekend retreat and a place to host presidential meetings. Trump has spent less time there, often opting for his own properties, including golf clubs in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia.<\/p>\n
Palm Beach County sees what it calls a \u2018historic opportunity\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump\u2019s proposal follows other projects by the lifelong real estate developer to build a White House ballroom, gild the Oval Office, erect a triumphal arch, renovate the Kennedy Center, refurbish the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and rebuild a golf course in East Potomac Park. He has also begun planning a future presidential library in a Miami skyscraper.<\/p>\n In a letter to Palm Beach County commissioners last month, first reported by the Palm Beach Post, an attorney who represents the golf course said Trump is offering to designate it as a \u201cUS Presidential Golf Course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust as Camp David, Windsor Castle, or the Elys\u00e9e Palace are known worldwide, so too will the Presidential Golf Course in Palm Beach County,\u201d Harvey Oyer said in the letter.<\/p>\n Palm Beach County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo said in a statement that local officials are eager to explore what this \u201chistoric opportunity\u201d could mean to the community. \u201cThis likely would further cement Palm Beach County\u2019s place on the national and international stage for generations to come,\u201d Abruzzo said.<\/p>\n Oyer\u2019s letter said the West Palm Beach golf course could be used by current and former presidents, along with visiting foreign heads of state. The Trump Organization owns the golf club but leases the land from the county, which would need to approve any changes.<\/p>\n Under the proposal, the club would pay to build a new presidential lodging and then work with the Secret Service and other agencies to provide free access to the federal government. The retreat would have a separate entrance from the private club, which earned Trump nearly $37 million during his first year back in office, according to his financial disclosure.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a gift that the President would like to share with his successors, the people of America, and his fellow Palm Beach County residents,\u201d Oyer wrote. \u201cIt should be noted that President Trump will be out of office before this proposed project could be completed so this is a gift to his successors.\u201d<\/p>\n Oyer highlighted past US presidents who turned over land for public use. Dwight Eisenhower donated his Gettysburg Farm in Pennsylvania to the National Park Service, and Franklin D. Roosevelt donated part of his estate in Hyde Park, New York.<\/p>\n Years before it was bought by Trump, Mar-a-Lago itself was proposed as a \u201cWinter White House.\u201d<\/p>\n Businesswoman and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post left the home to the National Park Service when she died in 1973, but the agency returned the home to her estate in 1980 because of high maintenance costs. Trump bought the property in 1985, and it later became his primary residence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n