President Donald Trump is expected to gather his Cabinet at Camp David next week, in a meeting set against a difficult backdrop for his presidency and the ongoing US involvement in the war with Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the meeting on Thursday, describing it as the 13th Cabinet meeting of the current term. “Next Friday, the president will host the 13th Cabinet meeting of this term at Camp David, which will be a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together,” she said.
The gathering comes as a ceasefire deal with Iran has collapsed and fighting has intensified in recent days, placing considerable political pressure on the administration to resolve the conflict. That pressure is compounded by rising gas prices and the approach of the midterm elections, now just months away.
The meeting will mark the administration’s first Cabinet session since May 27. Trump has made relatively limited use of Camp David during his presidency, visiting the retreat just twice in his second term, compared with 15 visits during his first.
The Maryland facility, originally named “Shangri-La,” has served as a presidential retreat and venue for hosting foreign dignitaries since the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt. The 180-acre camp includes log cabins, an outdoor swimming pool, a one-hole golf course, a shooting range, a bowling alley and hiking trails, while also functioning as a fully equipped working White House capable of running the country’s affairs.
Trump himself offered a mixed assessment of the retreat in an interview given before taking office in 2017, remarking: “Yea, Camp David is very rustic, it’s nice, you’d like it. You know how long you’d like it? For about 30 minutes.”