President Donald Trump will trade the White House Cabinet Room for the secluded grounds of Camp David on Friday as his administration confronts a growing list of challenges at home and abroad.
Trump is scheduled to host his 13th Cabinet meeting of his second term at 11 a.m. at the presidential retreat in Maryland, according to the White House public schedule.
The change in scenery is intended to give administration officials a different setting in which to discuss the president’s agenda.
“It will be a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week.
It will be Trump’s first Cabinet meeting at Camp David since returning to office. The administration previously planned to hold one there in May, but bad weather forced officials to relocate the gathering to the White House.
Friday’s meeting also marks only Trump’s third visit to Camp David during his second term, according to Reuters. He last traveled to the retreat for Father’s Day in June.
The official agenda has not been publicly released, but foreign policy is expected to dominate the conversation.
The administration continues to search for a resolution to the conflict with Iran, which has disrupted energy markets and placed additional pressure on gasoline prices. Trump said earlier this week that the United States remains open to an agreement while warning that Iran would face further military action if negotiations fail.
“We have a very strong position right now,” Trump said during a Tuesday interview with “Fox & Friends,” according to a White House summary. “If I can avoid doing that, I’d like to do that.”
Trump also said the United States controls access through the Strait of Hormuz and has restored its blockade after Iran allegedly violated the terms of a tentative agreement.
The Cabinet meeting comes one day after Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to disarm in “carefully structured phases,” a potentially significant breakthrough in the administration’s effort to stabilize Gaza.
Under the proposal described by Trump, Israeli forces would gradually withdraw as Hamas relinquishes its weapons. An international stabilization force would then work with a new Palestinian police force and governing authority.
Israel, however, has not publicly confirmed that it accepted the arrangement, leaving major questions about how and when it could be implemented.
The continuing Russia-Ukraine war is also likely to receive attention. The White House announced Thursday that first lady Melania Trump had helped reunite five additional Ukrainian and Russian children with their families, but a broader peace agreement remains elusive.
Domestic concerns could also enter the discussion as the administration looks to bring down prices and advance Trump’s remaining priorities before the midterm elections. The president has recently faced resistance from Republican senators over several issues, including the confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Trump’s Cabinet meetings typically feature updates from each department and can stretch well beyond an hour. Unlike many previous administrations, Trump has regularly allowed reporters to remain in the room for much of the discussion, a practice Leavitt has cited as evidence of the president’s commitment to transparency.
Camp David has hosted some of the most consequential presidential meetings in modern history, including the negotiations that produced the 1978 Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. The 180-acre compound was established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942.
Following Friday’s meeting, Trump is scheduled to leave Camp David and travel directly to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, where he will spend the weekend. The White House had not announced any additional public events for the president before his departure.
