President Trump wants to turn part of his West Palm Beach golf club into a standing presidential retreat—and he has already asked local officials to start the process.
Story Snapshot
- Trump proposed designating Trump International Golf Club as a “U.S. Presidential Golf Course.”
- The site sits on county-owned land under a long-term lease with the Trump Organization.
- Palm Beach County staff received direction to explore the offer and framework.
- The plan pitches access for presidents of both parties and foreign leaders.
Trump’s Offer, In Writing and On the Record
Attorney Harvey Oyer sent a letter on September 3, 2026, to Palm Beach County commissioners describing the plan. The proposal would designate Trump International Golf Club as a “U.S. Presidential Golf Course” to serve current and future presidents, former presidents, and visiting foreign leaders. The letter framed the project as a place for diplomacy and secure meetings, not only golf. The Palm Beach Post reported the contents and intent of that letter based on a copy obtained by the outlet.
County officials responded by instructing staff to begin talks on the structure and terms. Their charge is to review security needs, legal authority, and any costs or risks to taxpayers. Reporting on the commission’s direction said negotiations would explore how a public body could oversee or host a federal partner on land tied to an existing private lease. The next step is scoping, not a final deal.
The Unusual Land-and-Lease Puzzle
The golf club sits on land owned by Palm Beach County and leased to the Trump Organization under a long-standing settlement that traces back to the 1990s. The lease allows Trump’s company to run the club while paying monthly rent to the county. That structure means any new federal use must fit within the county’s landlord role and the current lease, or replace parts of it with a new legal path that satisfies all sides.
The proposal outlined one option: have the county enter a lease with a federal agency for the retreat area while maintaining its landlord status. That would give the government control for security and access needs without requiring the county to run the facility. The plan also emphasizes that presidents from either party would have use of the site, along with foreign dignitaries, a bid to position it as a national, not personal, institution.
Security, Logistics, and the Airport Next Door
Trump International Golf Club lies just south of Palm Beach International Airport. That puts airspace, motorcade routes, and no-fly zones on the front line of planning. One county commissioner flagged worries about burdening local taxpayers and about long-run changes to flight patterns. Federal planning would need to solve those concerns, from air traffic coordination to perimeter control, without pushing costs onto the community or private neighbors. These are solvable issues if the federal side commits.
Camp David works because it is secure, secluded, and controlled. West Palm Beach is none of those by nature. This means more design, more layers, and more coordination. The upside is proximity to an airport and to existing Secret Service familiarity with the area. The downside is density and noise. A serious plan will have to prove it can run as a quiet zone in a busy corridor, and put that promise in writing with measurable standards. That is the conservative way to do it: clear rules and strict limits.
Public Function on Private Turf
This idea falls into a pattern where official activity intersects with a private property. The club remains privately operated under a public-land lease, yet the retreat would be a federal mission space. Clear lines are the cure. County documents and the media record show the land is public, the lease is long-term, and the rent is fixed by contract. Any redesign must guard against hidden subsidies or back doors that shift cost without a vote. Sunlight and specific terms protect everyone.
Trump’s self-glorification and self-enrichment blitz continues.
Trump wants to make a southern Camp David out of part of his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach (which is close to the recently renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport). Trump and his family… pic.twitter.com/ghnGm51j2H
— Moe Davis (U.S. Air Force, Retired) (@ColMoeDavis) October 7, 2026
Critics often warn about self-dealing in these arrangements. Supporters counter that if presidents of both parties can use it, and if taxpayers do not foot the bill, the nation gains a secure venue at low cost. Both views hinge on the fine print. Conservative common sense says: write the deal so the public interest comes first, lock in fair-market treatment, and publish the agreements. If the numbers are clean, the function, not the logo on the sign, should decide the outcome.
What To Watch Next
Watch the staff report and draft terms. Look for who pays for upgrades, who controls scheduling, and how conflicts are handled. Track airspace plans with the airport authority and the Federal Aviation Administration. Follow how the county, the federal agency, and the Trump Organization align the lease pieces. The path forward is simple to state and hard to do: secure access for the presidency, hard walls against private gain from public action, and costs pinned to the proper party.
Sources:
mediaite.com, palmbeachpost.com, therealdeal.com, politicalwire.com
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