The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump is angling to create a presidential getaway at his West Palm Beach golf club, which would serve as an alternative to Camp David. If it happens, the site would both allow Trump to enrich himself and create a new potential institution through which he can influence politics after leaving office.
The Post reported that Trump’s 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 the Post, Harvey Oyer, a lawyer representing Trump’s golf club, presented the project to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners in lofty terms: “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 audaciously framed the project as a “gift” to the president’s successors. Future presidents would even be “offered comped memberships” to the club. But as is usually the case regarding Trump, this is about advancing his personal interests.
Only when it comes to accumulating more power for himself does Trump tap into more innovative, constructive energy.
There is no need for an alternative to Camp David. The facility, which is based in Maryland, more than suffices as the president’s country residence for both holding personal retreats with staff and hosting foreign dignitaries. Trump is making a play for two things he has an unquenchable appetite for: money and power.
Sectioning part of his West Palm Beach club for presidential access and diplomacy would increase the property’s prestige and likely allow it to charge guests higher rates. And while the proposal would turn the presidential retreat part of the club into federal land, it’s still possible the club would benefit directly from any presidential stays, as it could potentially provide catering or other services for guests or support staff. Trump already profited from turning Mar-a-Lago into a political nerve center while out of power — this would allow him to expand those efforts to mix business and politics.
The other major function of this Camp David alternative would be to help Trump to exert political influence while out of power. If this project were completed, it might serve, for example, as a location that allows politicians — from home and abroad — to signal a commitment to Trump and MAGA ideology. While Camp David has hosted presidents of both parties since Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, it’s hard to imagine a West Palm Beach presidential getaway being used by a Democrat. It seems far more plausible that it would be used by Republicans who hope to woo the president’s base. International diplomacy is heavily shaped by symbolism — and this could become a site that provides a clear way to telegraph ideology. It would also further politicize what’s meant to be a nonpartisan mode of presidential activity, as the president is supposed to represent the nation’s interests in diplomacy, not the interests of one political subgroup.
Trump is in many ways a destroyer in Washington — he shutters federal agencies, guts social services and trounces on long-standing alliances. Only when it comes to accumulating more power for himself does he tap into more innovative, constructive energy — turning federal property into an homage to himself, expanding his executive power. His idea for an alt-Camp David falls under that tendency. It remains to be seen whether Trump will agree to depart the presidency peacefully after the 2028 election, but whatever happens, he’s already laying the groundwork to cling onto power.
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