[ad_1]
Donald Trump’s future presidential library is one step closer to reality—and it’s heading to Miami.
Next week, Florida’s Cabinet, which is chaired by Gov. Ron DeSantis and includes three other Republican statewide elected officials, will vote on whether to give Trump prime downtown land for the project, in what would be the state’s first-ever presidential library. The site, currently a Miami Dade College parking lot, is situated next to the city’s iconic Freedom Tower, a historic processing center for Cuban refugees that has recently undergone renovation.
Trump’s team has been scouting Florida for months. They want the library to be part of a larger development, including a hotel—likely a first for any presidential library. After Miami Dade College’s board quietly approved the 2.6-acre land transfer Tuesday morning, DeSantis quickly put it on the Cabinet’s Sept. 30 agenda.
“President Trump has achieved results for the American people and made a lasting impact on our nation’s history,” DeSantis said in a statement to Politico.
The vote is expected to sail through, setting the library project in motion. For DeSantis, who once went toe-to-toe with Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, it’s the latest step in his effort to mend fences with Trump and his base.
Trump’s foundation had considered other sites, including Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University—the latter closer to Mar-a-Lago. But Eric Trump and top adviser Steve Witkoff toured sites earlier this year, ultimately settling on the Miami Dade College location.
“Without question, being near the Freedom Tower was important, but also being on the waterfront,” a Trump adviser told NBC News.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who will also vote on the land transfer, posted a promotional video in support of the plan.
“I can think of no better location to tell the story of Donald Trump—a story of strength, one of redemption, one of victory, and one of sacrifice for the American people,” he said. Uthmeier is seeking Trump’s endorsement as he prepares a 2026 run to hang on as the state’s attorney general.
The Freedom Tower carries deep symbolism for Cuban Americans, who have trended sharply Republican and helped deliver Miami-Dade County for Trump in 2024. DeSantis and the GOP-controlled legislature have already cleared regulatory hurdles, passing a law that strips local officials of the power to block construction of a presidential library—a move clearly designed to head off Democratic opposition.
Even before ground is broken, the foundation behind the library can raise money from political committees, lobbyists, and even foreign governments. Most contributions will remain confidential unless the donors choose to disclose them publicly.
The project has tens of millions in seed money from Trump’s settlements with Meta over his deplatforming and from a defamation lawsuit against ABC News. The luxury Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar to the White House may also be transferred to the library as a centerpiece of the museum.
Trump’s Miami library would cap a yearslong effort to cement Florida as MAGA’s home turf. DeSantis, once Trump’s bitter 2024 primary rival, now seems eager to prove his loyalty—and to lock Trump’s legacy into the center of Florida politics for decades to come.
[ad_2]
Alex Samuels
Source link