President Donald Trump is taking his Cabinet meeting on the road this Friday, convening the session at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. The move offers a rustic backdrop for what have become marathon gatherings marked by extended updates and frequent praise for the president.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the 13th Cabinet meeting of Trump's second term will be held at the historic retreat, describing it as "a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together." This will be the first Cabinet meeting at Camp David in his second term; an earlier attempt in May was canceled due to inclement weather. Trump did hold a Cabinet meeting there during his first term.
The public portions of Trump's Cabinet meetings have stretched as long as three hours, with each department head offering updates and often adding personal compliments for the president. In a departure from typical practice, Trump allows the media to remain for the entire session, a move Leavitt has framed as evidence of his commitment to transparency.
However, Trump has recently acknowledged the meetings' length, urging participants to be brief and limiting the number of oral reports. "Everybody around here has got a lot to say. But we did that once, and it lasted for like four or five hours. It was a little much," he said at the May meeting.
Camp David, established in 1942 under Franklin Roosevelt, has served every president since. Roosevelt sought a secure retreat after concerns about his safety on a yacht during World War II, leading to the selection of a site within 100 miles of the White House. Originally named Shangri-La, after the fictional paradise in James Hilton's novel, it was renamed Camp David by Dwight Eisenhower in honor of his grandson.
Trump has visited Camp David sparingly in his second term, most recently for Father's Day in June. In 2019, during his first term, he announced on social media that he had canceled a secret weekend meeting with Taliban and Afghan leaders at the retreat, just days before the 9/11 anniversary, following a bombing in Kabul that killed 12 people, including a U.S. soldier.
Historically, presidents have used Camp David for sensitive diplomatic talks. Jimmy Carter hosted Egyptian and Israeli leaders there in 1978, leading to the Camp David Accords. In 1979, Carter convened a cross-section of American society there, later delivering a nationally televised energy speech that became known as the "malaise" speech, though he never used that word.
The 180-acre retreat, run by the Navy and guarded by Marines, features the president's cabin, Aspen, and about a dozen others for guests. Amenities include a fitness center, bowling alley, movie theater, heated pool, and tennis and basketball courts, as well as a chapel.
This shift in venue comes amid broader changes in Trump's policy approach, including his counterterrorism strategy and his initiative to place veterans in trucking jobs. The Cabinet meeting at Camp David is expected to proceed without the interruptions that have marked some of his other engagements.
