Trump pitches golf club as Camp David

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he wants to develop his private West Palm Beach golf course into a presidential retreat for his successors, describing it as sort of a Camp David with existing security features.

“It's a great idea, and it'll be used a lot.”

Trump claims Secret Service suggested it

Trump said the United States Secret Service suggested the idea, noting that all presidents play golf. He highlighted the property's proximity to an airport and distance from residential homes and tall buildings that pose security risks.

“It seems that all presidents play golf.”

The site of a 2024 assassination attempt

Trump did not mention that the Trump International Golf Club was the site of an unsuccessful attempt on his life in 2024. A Secret Service agent spotted an armed man in the trees lining the perimeter fence who was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Plan already submitted to local officials

The proposal has already been submitted to Palm Beach County officials. The Trump Organization owns the golf club but leases the land from the county, which would need to approve any changes to the property.

County sees historic opportunity

Palm Beach County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo said local officials are eager to explore what this historic opportunity could mean to the community. He said it would further cement Palm Beach County's place on the national and international stage for generations to come.

“This likely would further cement Palm Beach County's place on the national and international stage for generations to come.”

Club would pay for lodging, offer free access

Under the proposal, the club would pay to build new presidential lodging and work with the Secret Service to provide free access to the federal government. The retreat would have a separate entrance from the private club, which earned Trump nearly thirty seven million dollars during his first year back in office.

Trump frames it as gift to successors

Trump's attorney Harvey Oyer wrote that this is a gift the President would like to share with his successors, the people of America, and fellow Palm Beach County residents. Oyer noted that Trump will be out of office before the project could be completed.

“This is a gift that the President would like to share with his successors, the people of America, and his fellow Palm Beach County residents.”

Oyer cites precedent of presidential donations

Oyer highlighted past U.S. 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.