President Donald Trump said Wednesday he wants to develop part of his Florida golf course into a presidential retreat where his successors can spend quiet weekends, describing it as 'sort of a Camp David,' the Associated Press reports. The plan has already been submitted to local officials in Palm Beach County.
Trump said the idea was suggested by the Secret Service and the military, touting the property's security advantages: no high buildings looming over it, no nearby homes, and close proximity to an airport — recently renamed the President Donald J. Trump International Airport. 'It's a great idea, and it'll be used a lot,' he said. 'This wouldn't be for me. This would be for all future presidents.'
Under the proposal, a parcel of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach would become a permanent compound for presidents and world leaders, while the rest would continue operating as a private Trump club. An attorney for the club told The Washington Post that Trump would personally pay for construction of the presidential residence and facilities, and future presidents would receive complimentary memberships.
The plan would further comingle the presidency with Trump's business ventures: the same course was the site of a foiled 2024 assassination attempt, for which Ryan Routh was sentenced to life in prison. The Secret Service and Defense Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether they proposed the idea.
