Trump wants future presidents to get free memberships at his Florida golf club, the same course where a gunman once waited for him in the bushes

President Donald Trump says he wants to turn part of his private golf club in West Palm Beach into a presidential retreat that his successors could use long after he leaves office. He described the idea as “sort of a Camp David” and said the property already has many of the security features needed to host presidents and world leaders.

According to AP, Trump said the concept was suggested by the Secret Service. “It’s a great idea, and it’ll be used a lot,” he said, adding, “It seems that all presidents play golf.” The proposal centers on Trump International Golf Club, which the Trump Organization operates on land it leases from Palm Beach County.

The plan first surfaced in a letter sent to county commissioners last month by Harvey Oyer, an attorney for the club. It asks that the course be designated the “permanent United States Presidential Golf Course,” open to all past, current and future presidents regardless of party, along with visiting foreign heads of state.

The presidential retreat would be built on county land at the club’s expense

Under the letter, the club would pay to construct a presidential lodging facility and design it with the General Services Administration and the Secret Service. Access would be provided at no cost to the federal government. “This is a gift that the President would like to share with his successors,” Oyer wrote, naming the American people and Palm Beach County residents as well.

The land arrangement is the complicated part, as the county owns the ground beneath the course. The letter proposes that the club grant the county a legal right to the parcel needed for the lodging. The county would then lease that parcel to the appropriate federal agency and remain the landlord, keeping control if the government stopped using it.

Oyer pitched the presidential retreat as a boost for the area. “Just as Camp David, Windsor Castle, or the Elysee Palace are known worldwide, so too will the Presidential Golf Course in Palm Beach County,” he wrote. County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo has called it a “historic opportunity” and said he looks forward to exploring what it could mean for the county.

Abruzzo has reportedly said the retreat would sit on a connected piece of land with its own entrance, separate from the private club, and that Trump’s company would keep paying its lease. However, commissioners have not said whether they support providing county land. Questions about design, the land agreement and security requirements are all still open.

The proposal has drawn scrutiny, as it would tie the presidency to one of Trump’s businesses beyond his time in office. The club brought him nearly $37 million during his first year back in the White House, per his financial disclosure. The Trump family is expected to keep running the course next to the presidential retreat if the plan goes ahead.

It is not the first time one of his Florida properties has been put forward for official use. Trump dropped plans to hold a G7 summit at his Doral resort in 2019 after Republican pushback, and this year he chose the same Doral club for the G20. The 2019 plan was criticized on similar grounds, with opponents objecting to a president hosting an official event at his own business.

Security is another open question. The West Palm Beach course is where a Secret Service agent spotted an armed man in the tree line in September 2024. That man was later convicted of trying to kill Trump and sentenced to life in prison. However, a former FBI agent told a local station that securing the property as a permanent retreat would be very difficult.

County commissioners would need to approve any change involving the leased land. As construction is reportedly not expected to finish before Trump leaves office, the first guest at the presidential retreat would likely be a successor.