Having redecorated the White House, commenced construction of a ballroom at the executive mansion and designed an arch, President Donald Trump is proposing a legacy piece for the Palm Beaches.
The president is offering to "designate" his Trump International Golf Club as a U.S. Presidential Golf Course, according to a Sept. 3 letter sent to Palm Beach County commissioners by attorney Harvey Oyer.
The West Palm Beach-area course would be "utilized by all past, current, and future United States Presidents and visiting foreign heads of state," stated the letter, which was obtained by The Palm Beach Post.
The Trump family owns Trump International, but it sits on land leased from the county, per the terms of the settlement of a lawsuit Trump filed against
the airport formerly known as Palm Beach International Airport. The state renamed the airport for Trump in July.
The proposal calls for Trump International, referenced as TIGC, to "provide access to all" club facilities at "no cost to the federal government" and cooperate with the General Services Administration and U.S. Secret Service to "design an appropriate Presidential lodging" at the property.
"TIGC would pay the cost of constructing the Presidential lodging facility," the letter said. "This is a gift that the President would like to share with his successors, the people of America, and his fellow Palm Beach County residents. It should be noted that President Trump will be out of office before this proposed project could be completed so this is a gift to his successors."
Efforts to reach Oyer were not immediately successful.
County Administrator Joe Abruzzo said in a statement to The Post the offer potentially presents a “remarkable and historic opportunity” for a permanent operational institution of the American presidency. He added that the county administration is “eager” delve into the details and “fully explore what this proposal could mean for our community” going forward.
“This likely would further cement Palm Beach County’s place on the national and international stage for generations to come,” Abruzzo’s statement said. “I look forward to working under the direction of our Board of County Commissioners as we explore this historic opportunity, and to working with President Trump and his team, our professional staff and the appropriate federal agencies on what it could mean for Palm Beach County.”
Similar to the Trump International arrangement, the presidential golf course envisions a land-rights transaction in which Trump "grants" the county "legal right to the specified land necessary" for the new lodging and associated "support structures."
The county, the letter states, would subsequently "enter into a lease agreement with the appropriate federal government agency," allowing the county to serve as landlord.
The letter touted Trump International as a "best-in-class course design and golf club with superior amenities." It also lauded the club as ranking among the "most secure golf courses in the world" because it is "equipped with the most advanced security and protection systems, making it ideal for such a use."
The proposal echoes the wishes of Mar-a-Lago builder Marjorie Merriweather Post, who bequeathed her estate to the federal government after she died in 1973 so the Palm Beach compound could serve as a southern Camp David.
President Richard Nixon, White House records show, toured the property in the summer of 1974 with banker and confidant Bebe Rebozo.
The letter also noted precedents in which U.S. presidents have offered their private property and holdings for public use.
"President (Dwight) Eisenhower donated his Gettysburg Farm to National Park Service and Franklin Roosevelt donated part of his Hyde Park estate to public use," the letter noted.
Trump International has been the president's preferred course during his frequent visits to Palm Beach. A presidential financial disclosure filing by Trump made public in June showed Trump International earned him $36.9 million in his first year back in the White House.
The president also pocketed $77.4 million at his Mar-a-Lago Club, which estate that doubles as his official residence and for-profit social club.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Donald Trump proposes making his Florida club a U.S. presidential golf course
