Trump Schedules, Then Scraps Rare Camp David Trip as Iran Tensions Rise Over US Strikes
By Emily Goodin
President Trump postponed a trip to Camp David hours after it was announced Wednesday, opting to hold a planned cabinet meeting at the White House instead.
“Based on the possible bad weather conditions tomorrow, we will be having our Cabinet Meeting in the White House, and will be postponing the Cabinet trip to Camp David,” the 79-year-old announced on Truth Social shortly before 5 p.m.
Heavy rain is forecast for Washington DC on Wednesday, making it too dangerous to helicopter the approximately 60 miles to the retreat in Catoctin Mountain Park, near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border.
President Trump waves as he returns to the White House on May 25, 2026.
Camp David is located in Thurmont, Maryland.
No explanation was given for why Camp David was initially picked as the venue, with one administration official shrugging: “It’s a chance to do it in a different venue from the Cabinet Room at the White House.”
However, the 125-acre compound, guarded by US Marines, is also a secure location where delicate conversations can be held with less chance of leaks or prying from a large press pool.
Trump previously held a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in September 2017, which was closed to the press. In June 2025, he hosted his foreign policy team there to discuss Iran and Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Almost exactly two weeks later, US forces hit three Iranian nuclear sites as part of Operation Midnight Hammer.
All cabinet members, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — are expected to join Trump at Wednesday’s meeting, which comes as peace talks with Iran near a crucial juncture and surveys show Republicans on the back foot with just over five months to go before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
At Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, the 12th since Trump took office in January 2025, officials will discuss “recent successes of the administration including economy and small business wins, Task Force to Eliminate Fraud highlights, and foreign policy updates,” according to a White House official.
President Trump with Sen. Mitch McConnell at Camp David in 2018.
President Trump speaks to then-Vice President Mike Pence outside Camp David in 2017.
The administration also wants to highlight its work on affordability and other issues of concern to voters ahead of the midterms — in which Democrats are favored to regain control of the House of Representatives and launch a series of investigations into the Trump administration.
But Iran is likely to dominate the conversation after the US conducted strikes late Monday on targets in the south of the country, which was followed by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei threatening American military bases in the Middle East.
US Central Command said that American forces targeted two Iranian mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as well as a missile launcher site near the port city of Bandar Abbas, which officials argued posed a threat to US aircraft and naval forces operating in the region.
CENTCOM noted the operation was conducted “while using restraint during the ongoing cease-fire,” which has been in effect since April 8.
President Trump in his presidential limousine as he travels to Walter Reed Medical Center on May 15, 2026.
President Trump’s motorcade on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier Tuesday that talks about a peace framework between the US and Iran — to include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as well as Iran giving up its nuclear material in exchange for sanctions relief — were still taking place despite the military activity, but acknowledged it may take “a few days” to work out all the details.
“It’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document,” Rubio told reporters in India. “So it’ll take a few days. The president’s expressed his desire to make [sure] he’s either going to make a good deal or no deal.”
Camp David has played a significant role in US diplomatic history, having hosted high-stakes talks in 1978 between President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin that led to a peace deal between the two Middle Eastern nations.
Then-President Bill Clinton also gathered Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat at Camp David in 2000, in an unsuccessful attempt to secure lasting peace in the Middle East before he left office.
While other presidents frequently enjoy the perks of the private camp, Trump has only been to Camp David 16 times over his two terms as president — the second-fewest of any commander in chief on record. (Only Harry Truman, who made 10 visits there during his eight years in office, was a less regular visitor.)
Original source: https://nypost.com/2026/05/26/us-news/trump-to-make-rare-trip-to-camp-david-as-iran-tensions-rise-over-us-strikes/
