President Donald Trump wants to build a permanent Camp David-style presidential retreat at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to a letter a lawyer for the property sent last month to local officials.
And the county is seriously considering his proposal, County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo told The Washington Post. He said officials are in contact with the General Services Administration and have begun plans to identify a parcel for the project.
Palm Beach County owns the land beneath Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach and leases it to Trump’s company, the Trump Organization.
Under the terms listed in the letter, the Trump Organization would continue operating the course next to the presidential compound and keep making lease payments to the county. Representatives for Trump told county officials last week that the government-owned retreat would have a separate entrance from the private club.
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No final agreement with the federal government has been announced.
The Palm Beach Post first reported the proposal last month after Harvey Oyer, a lawyer representing Trump International Golf Club, sent a letter to county commissioners outlining plans for a permanent presidential golf course. The newspaper later reported that county staff had begun exploring the proposal.
Under the plan, part of the county-owned property would be provided to the federal government for a presidential residence and related facilities, while the rest would remain a private golf course. Oyer said Trump would pay to build the presidential facilities.
The site could host future presidents, foreign leaders and international summits. Future presidents would also receive complimentary memberships to the Trump-owned 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,” Oyer wrote to county commissioners last month.
Oyer said construction would not be completed before Trump leaves office and called the project “a gift” to Trump’s successors.
“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 told the Post.
A White House official told the Post that the property offered several advantages for presidential use, including its proximity to an airport and law enforcement, existing security features and the lack of homes and large buildings immediately surrounding the course.
Trump reported $36.9 million in earnings from the West Palm Beach club in his most recent financial disclosure.
The Florida retreat would not replace Camp David. Presidents have used the government-owned Maryland compound for decades as a getaway from Washington and a venue for meetings with foreign leaders.
Trump has generally chosen his own properties when spending time away from Washington. He has also been dismissive of the Maryland retreat in the past, once saying its appeal would wear off after about half an hour.
Another Trump-owned club in Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, was once intended for a similar purpose. Marjorie Merriweather Post arranged for the estate to become a federal presidential retreat, but the government later returned it to the Post Foundation following her death. Trump bought the property in 1985.
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