President Donald Trump is seeking to turn his Palm Beach, Florida, golf course into a presidential retreat for use by future presidents, modeled in part on the famed Camp David compound.
The proposal calls for a portion of Trump International Golf Club to be designated as a permanent presidential retreat and provide lodging for foreign leaders, where future presidents could host international summits and stay while vacationing in Florida, according to a proposal presented to Palm Beach County officials by the golf club’s legal counsel.
Future presidents would also be offered complimentary memberships to the private club.
“Just as Camp David, Windsor Castle, or the Elysee Palace are known worldwide, so too will the Presidential Golf Course in Palm Beach County,” Harvey Oyer, a lawyer representing the golf course, wrote in a letter last month to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners.
Oyer asked the county, which owns the property where the golf course is located, to convey a portion of the land to the federal government. Trump would pay for the construction of a presidential residence and related facilities on the property, according to the proposal.
Oyer told the Palm Beach Post that the project would not be completed before Trump leaves office, meaning the retreat would ultimately be “a gift” to his successors. He also argued the county would benefit from increased visits by foreign leaders and other high-profile officials.
A White House spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the federal government was looking into developing the course as a retreat for “important meetings.”
“The property is minutes away from the Donald J. Trump International Airport, does not have buildings looming, does not have houses along the course, has great security features, is close to law enforcement, and happens to be a highly-rated golf course,” the spokesperson said. “These are features that are necessary for any Presidential retreat.”
The details of the proposal remain preliminary, in part because multiple federal agencies would need to be consulted. No cost estimate has been provided for the retreat, and the specific location of the presidential lodging facilities has not been determined, Oyer told the Washington Post.
“It would further cement Palm Beach County as one of the most recognizable brands and destinations in the world,” Oyer said.
The proposal would give the United States another presidential retreat similar in function to Camp David, which has hosted presidents and foreign leaders for high-level diplomatic meetings over decades.
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Camp David was built between 1935 and 1938 by the Works Progress Administration as a recreational camp for federal employees and their families. The site was converted into a presidential retreat by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed the retreat Camp David in 1953 after his grandson, David. Six years later, Eisenhower hosted Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev there for key diplomatic talks.