President Donald Trump is taking his Friday Cabinet meeting on the road to the Camp David retreat in Maryland.
The gathering marks the 13th Cabinet meeting of Trump’s second term and comes as the administration works through a packed agenda that includes foreign policy, military operations, government funding, and economic issues ahead of the November midterm elections.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the meeting at the presidential retreat as “a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together.”
It will be Trump’s first Cabinet meeting at Camp David during his second term after an earlier attempt in May was canceled due to bad weather.
The White House has said that the secluded, heavily guarded retreat provides an ideal setting for extended discussions between the president and his top advisers.
Foreign policy is expected to dominate Friday’s meeting as Trump weighs the next steps in the ongoing conflict with Iran, now in its fifth month.
The administration also continues monitoring energy markets as higher gasoline prices remain a political concern for Republicans heading into the midterms.
Trump has vowed to maintain pressure on Iran while protecting global shipping lanes and American interests in the Middle East.
His administration has repeatedly argued that projecting military strength is necessary to deter further aggression from Tehran and its regional proxies.
Unlike many of his predecessors, Trump has spent relatively little time at Camp David during his second term, preferring to spend weekends at his golf properties.
Friday’s trip marks only his third visit to the presidential retreat since returning to office.
Camp David has long served as both a presidential getaway and a secure location for high-level national security and diplomatic meetings.
Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has used the retreat, which sits on 180 wooded acres in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains.
Roosevelt established the retreat in 1942, originally naming it Shangri-La after the fictional paradise in James Hilton’s novel “Lost Horizon.”
President Dwight D. Eisenhower later renamed it Camp David after his grandson.
The retreat is perhaps best known for hosting the 1978 Camp David Accords, where President Jimmy Carter brokered a historic peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.
Trump’s Cabinet meetings have become notable for their length and openness to the press.
Unlike previous administrations, Trump has frequently allowed television cameras to remain throughout the public portion of the meetings while Cabinet secretaries provide updates on their agencies.
The president has recently encouraged shorter presentations after some earlier meetings stretched for several hours.
Following Friday’s meeting, Trump is expected to travel to his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club for the weekend.
