Top Trump advisers get involved as the fight to win his presidential library site heats up

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The search for President Donald Trump’s post-administration presidential library site is intensifying in South Florida, with Trump’s son Eric and a top Trump administration adviser, Steve Witkoff, getting involved in recent weeks.

Trump’s team has had site selectors scoping out potential South Florida locations for months, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is meeting with Trump in Palm Beach County this weekend to discuss places to build a potential Trump library, five sources tell NBC News.

Though no final decision has been made, the current top targets are Florida Atlantic University, located in Palm Beach County, and Florida International University, located in Miami-Dade County. Palm Beach County is Trump’s official residence, and the location there is in close proximity to Mar-a-Lago. Miami-Dade County is home to Trump’s Doral golf resort, another one of his major properties.

There are also sites not connected to a university under consideration, sources tell NBC News. But FAU and FIU are lobbying heavily to win the site, and they have started to offer enticements, including potentially donating land to build the presidential library.

Trump’s team has said it would like a new hotel associated with the presidential library, two sources tell NBC News, which is a part of the active negotiations.

The presidents of Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University are both well-connected former Republican elected officials, and both have been heavily engaged in the process. Florida Atlantic University is led by Adam Hasner, a former high-ranking member of the state House, and Florida International University’s president is Jeanette Nuñez, who was DeSantis’ lieutenant governor until he appointed her to the FIU post last month.

Neither Hasner or Nuñez returned requests seeking comment. A DeSantis spokesperson also did not return a request seeking comment.

The White House did not return a request seeking comment, but a Trump administration official confirmed that South Florida has become the focus of the presidential search.

Eric Trump joined Witkoff and Nuñez on a tour of FIU’s potential sites over the past few weeks, a process that included Florida House Speaker Danny Perez, a Miami-Dade County Republican who has spoken directly to Witkoff and is among the leaders trying to get the library in Miami.

“Eric Trump was here. He took a tour of FIU, so they have been at least looking,” said one person familiar with the tour.

Eric Trump has also toured FAU-aligned sites.

“There has been a strong push to put the library at FAU, even offering land for construction of the library,” said a person familiar with those negotiations. “There seems to be a lot of interest in doing that because it’s in the president’s home county.”

“They are evaluating all options right now, but it appears the governor and the state university system are clamoring for the chance to get the president’s library,” that person added.

Republicans in the state have been making efforts to ensure that Florida becomes the home of the presidential library. Trump was a New York resident until 2019, when he officially made Florida his primary residence.

Beyond direct talks with DeSantis, the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature is moving quickly to pass a bill that would allow Republicans in Tallahassee to be in charge of decisions about presidential libraries, removing the ability of local authorities to oversee the construction of any presidential library.

The change would box out Democratic-leaning local officials in South Florida from the decision-making and approval processes around a proposed Trump presidential library. Trump carried Miami-Dade County in 2024, but Palm Beach County was one of just six Florida counties won by former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential contest.

“After the flap over the size of Trump’s flag, I don’t want my president getting in trouble for being too patriotic ever again,” said Orlando-area Republican state Sen. Jason Brodeur, who is sponsoring the legislation in his chamber.

It’s a reference to a 2006 legal fight between Trump and town of Palm Beach officials over an 80-foot flagpole flying an American flag over a Trump golf course, which local officials said exceeded the maximum size allowed by town ordinances. Trump and the town later settled, allowing a 70-foot flagpole in a different location.

Republican state Rep. Alex Andrade, another sponsor of the bill, said he would be in favor of a nonuniversity site for Trump’s library to avoid a turf war between FAU and FIU.

“Putting it at either university is going to result in whining and protesting,” he said. “With such an important proposition that will inevitably benefit the immediate surrounding area, it’s embarrassing that it will be met with whining and protesting.”

“Either institution would be lucky to have it,” he added.

Another person familiar with the negotiations confirmed FAU and FIU are top targets, but the subject of talks this weekend between Trump and DeSantis do include other sites.

“They are currently looking at sites in South Florida,” the person said. “Both FAU and FIU want it, but my understanding is they are looking at nonuniversity sites.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com