Much of President Donald Trump’s second term has focused on changes to the nation’s capital.
But his ambitions to remake the physical architecture of the presidency transcend Washington: Trump wants to transform his West Palm Beach golf club into a presidential retreat modeled after Camp David.
The plan calls for a parcel of the private club to be designated a permanent, official sanctuary for foreign leaders and future U.S. presidents, designed to host international summits and house presidents when they take vacations in Florida, according to a proposal presented to Palm Beach County officials by Trump International Golf Club’s legal counsel. Future presidents would also be offered comped memberships to the Trump 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 Trump course, wrote to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners in a letter last month. Oyer asked the county, which owns the property the course is on, to provide a piece of the land to the federal government, and he promised Trump would pay for the construction of a presidential residence and facilities on that land.
Oyer told The Washington Post that a name has yet not been selected for the presidential golf course.
“It would further cement Palm Beach County as one of the most recognizable brands and destinations in the world,” Oyer said.
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.
A White House official with knowledge of the proposed plans said in a text message the facilities would provide amenities of a “world-class property.”
“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. These are features that are necessary for any presidential retreat,” said the White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview plans.
In the letter, which was first reported by the Palm Beach Post, Oyer said the construction would not be completed before Trump leaves office, so the project would be “a gift” to Trump’s successors and the county would benefit from high-power traffic in the area.
The county is seriously considering the proposal and is seeking more information, Palm Beach County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo told The Washington Post. In a meeting last week, Trump representatives assured county officials that, under the proposal, Trump’s company would continue to make lease payments for the golf course and would agree to build the presidential retreat on a connected piece of land that would have a separate entrance from the private club, Abruzzo said.
Trump’s club would continue to operate under the Trump family company and would probably benefit from more business if it becomes a site of long-lasting presidential importance.
The county is in contact with the General Services Administration, the agency that manages federal properties, and the county will be selecting a parcel of the land for the proposal, Abruzzo said.
“My understanding is that President Trump views this as a lasting contribution to the presidency and to those who will hold the office after him,” Abruzzo said.
Though presidents already have a retreat at Camp David, Trump has visited the complex less frequently than many of his predecessors, preferring to spend his weekends and holidays at his own properties. He once commented that Camp David’s rustic charm would wear off after half an hour.
Previous presidents have left their own marks on the woodsy Maryland retreat. Franklin D. Roosevelt established the getaway for federal workers as a presidential compound and dubbed it Shangri-La, though Dwight D. Eisenhower later named it after his father and grandson.
Marjorie Merriweather Post, who was once the wealthiest woman in the United States, also had hoped to create a presidential retreat in the South. She gifted her Palm Beach estate – better known as Mar-a-Lago – to the federal government upon her death in 1973, with the intention that it be turned into a Winter White House. But the National Park Service returned the property to her estate due to high maintenance costs, and Trump bought the property in 1985.
Trump International Golf Club opened in 1999 after Trump settled a lawsuit with the county regarding airplanes flying over Mar-a-Lago and the county agreed to lend him the land. Near the golf course, state officials have branded the Palm Beach airport and the road along it with Trump’s name.
Trump’s influence over Palm Beach and its image would be further cemented if the golf club becomes a presidential retreat. The wealthy strip of South Florida has undergone a MAGA transformation with Trump’s base flocking to Mar-a-Lago for political events and networking. The nearby golf club has become a go-to destination for Trump spotting.
Trump reported an income of nearly $37 million last year from the golf course in his latest financial disclosure.
Although Trump had mocked former president Barack Obama for golfing during his presidency, Trump has frequently golfed since he has been in office. One online tracker calculated that Trump has spent at least 137 days in his second term golfing.
Rick Reilly, a former Sports Illustrated columnist who wrote “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump,” has golfed with Trump and said the president is less interested in the sport than the attention he gains at his own clubs. Reilly described how Trump always plays first in his golfing party and speeds on his golf cart to the next hole, wrapping up his game in less time than is typical, before heading to the clubhouse, where he makes the rounds, talking to his members and fans. If the Palm Beach club were a destination for foreign leaders, they would be part of the display of influence.
“I suppose he wants to make a power play with these people and show them who is the king of America,” Reilly said.
Don Van Natta Jr., an ESPN senior writer who wrote “First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters From Taft to Bush,” a book on the history of presidents who golfed, said 17 of the past 20 presidents have golfed. The first avid golfer in the Oval Office was William Howard Taft, and the last president who didn’t golf was Jimmy Carter.
“There is a long history of presidents playing golf,” Van Natta said. “It’s an escape where they can, as President [Bill] Clinton told me for my book, to be out in nature, and it’s an escape hatch from the pressures of the Oval Office.”
CORRECTION: A photo caption with a previous version of this article and on the homepage omitted the year that President Donald Trump arrived at Trump International Golf Club to watch the Super Bowl. It was in 2017.
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