President Donald Trump wants to add a presidential retreat to his club in West Palm Beach, Florida, and its golf course will become the “permanent presidential golf course of the United States.”
An attorney for Trump International Golf Club proposed the designation and construction of a retreat at Trump’s expense in a letter to the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners, which was obtained by NBC News.
“Just as Camp David, Windsor Palace or the Elysee Palace are known around the world, so too will the Palm Beach County Presidential Golf Course be,” Harvey Oyer wrote in last month’s letter, first reported by the Palm Beach Post.
The White House confirmed the proposal to the Washington Post on Wednesday. Trump, when asked about the report in the Oval Office, told reporters it wasn’t his idea but he agreed.
“This was suggested to me by the military and the Secret Service,” and it’s “a great idea,” he said.
“They asked me if I was willing to do it, and I said I would be,” he said.
“It wouldn’t be for me. It would be for all future presidents,” and it’s “one of the best golf courses in the world,” Trump said.
Oyer’s letter asks the county, which owns the property where the course is being held, to turn over part of the land to the federal government for the project. The club would work with the government to design “suitable presidential accommodation” which the club would pay to build.
A White House official said in a statement that the retreat could be used by presidents to “hold important meetings and use the amenities of a world-class property.”
“The property is minutes from Donald J. Trump International Airport, has no looming buildings, has no homes along the course, has extensive security, is close to law enforcement and happens to be a popular golf course,” the release said. “These are necessary characteristics of any presidential retreat.”
Trump, an avid golfer who mocked his predecessor Barack Obama during the 2016 presidential campaign for playing golf, said Wednesday that “it seems like every president plays golf” and that the new pension would be “used a lot.”
Oyer’s letter said the facility could be used by “all past, current and future U.S. presidents, regardless of party affiliation, as well as all visiting heads of state, regardless of party affiliation.”
A Fox News reporter asked Trump if the retreat would be called “Camp Donald.”
“It’s already called Trump International,” he replied.
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