// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Trump wants a new Camp David retreat at his posh Florida golf club
President Trump gestures before boarding Marine One after a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on 31 July 2026 in Thurmont, Maryland
US President Donald Trump is looking to create a presidential retreat similar to Camp David at his Florida golf club.
The club would foot constructions costs as a "gift" to Americans and provide free memberships to future presidents - and accommodations to visiting foreign dignitaries.
"It's only about two minutes away from the airport … and they could spend the weekend there, like a retreat, like a sort of Camp David retreat," Trump said on Wednesday.
If it comes to fruition, Trump's transformed golf estate would stand in stark contrast to the rustic Camp David, once a Great Depression-era camp in the woods for federal employees. It would also mark another tradition transformed by Trump.
A view of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida
The US president has sought to cement his legacy through changes to the White House, including gilded gold leaf accents in the Oval Office, demolition of the East Wing and construction of a ballroom. He is pushing ahead with plans to erect a massive triumphal arch elsewhere in Washington.
He has hosted national security meetings and other events at Camp David, known as the president's country residence. The Camp David property - set deep in Catoctin Mountain Park in Frederick County, Maryland - was first taken over as a retreat by President Franklin Roosevelt, who nicknamed it "Shangri-La".
The area is rustic, and in some ways resembles the military facility it officially is - Naval Support Facility, Thurmont. The entire facility is staffed by uniformed members of the US Navy and Marine Corps.
US President Joe Biden, center, greets Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister, right, and Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea's president, left, during a trilateral summit at Camp David in 2023