Trump backs proposal for presidential retreat at his West Palm Beach golf club

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, October 7, that he wants to turn his privately owned Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, into a retreat for presidents and visiting foreign leaders. He compared the idea to Camp David, the established presidential retreat in Maryland. The Florida proposal would require Palm Beach County approval for changes to land the club leases from the county, according to the Associated Press.

Trump described the site as a place where future presidents could spend a weekend. He said the idea was intended for his successors, calling it ‘a great idea’. His endorsement puts public attention on a proposal sent to county commissioners in September; it does not make the club an approved presidential facility.

What the West Palm Beach proposal offers

A September 3 letter from club attorney Harvey Oyer proposed calling the site a ‘U.S. Presidential Golf Course’, according to the BBC and AP. AP reported that the letter offered access to current and former presidents and visiting foreign heads of state. The Palm Beach Post first reported the letter, AP said. The underlying letter was not directly available in the reporting used for this account.

The club would pay construction costs and provide access to its facilities at no cost to the federal government, according to the letter as described by both outlets. Oyer characterized the project as a gift to future presidents and said it would not be completed before Trump leaves office, AP reported. The reporting does not establish a total cost, a detailed design or a construction schedule.

How the proposed retreat compares with Camp David

Camp David is an established presidential retreat in Maryland and has hosted meetings between presidents and foreign leaders. The BBC describes it as a secure facility largely hidden within Catoctin Mountain Park, staffed by uniformed Navy and Marine Corps personnel. Its cabins and lodges have a different setting from a golf club connected to West Palm Beach by public roads.

Trump International Golf Club is a 27-hole course with a clubhouse, dining and member events, according to the BBC. Trump has used his own properties in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia frequently, AP reported, while spending less time at Camp David. His Florida proposal would give successors access to a private club for official visits if the necessary arrangements were made.

The contrast extends to security. Trump said Secret Service officials suggested the idea and cited the club’s proximity to an airport. He also pointed to the absence of tall nearby buildings and homes as an advantage. Those are Trump’s descriptions of the site; the available reporting does not establish the Secret Service’s position on a new retreat or how it would be protected.

The club was the site of a thwarted attempt to kill Trump while he was golfing in 2024, AP reported. A man was later convicted of trying to kill him and sentenced to life in prison. That history makes security a material question for the proposal, but the reporting supplies no approved security plan. AP said the Secret Service had not responded to its request for comment; the BBC also said it had contacted the agency.

What must happen before the club could be used

The proposal remains at an early stage. The available reporting does not establish a formal Palm Beach County decision, federal arrangements for presidential use or a date for construction. Oyer’s reported statement that completion would come after Trump’s term is the only timing indication in the letter described by AP. Until the county and relevant federal authorities act, Trump’s public endorsement is a statement of intent, not the creation of another presidential retreat.