A Presidio Trust spokesperson described Burgum's attendance as a "possibility," adding that there is no full confirmation. The Interior Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Under the law establishing the Presidio Trust, the Interior Secretary or a designee holds the board's seventh seat, which has been vacant for several years. Burgum's presence would place the Trump administration's top public lands official directly into the governance of the former Army post turned 1,500-acre national park.

The board was reshuffled after President Trump fired the previous six presidential appointees earlier this year, following threats to significantly reduce the Presidio's operations. The new appointees are Lynne Benioff, co-chair of Time and a former board member; Trevor Traina, a tech entrepreneur and former U.S. Ambassador to Austria; Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, a philanthropist and Stanford educator; James Burnham, general counsel for xAI and X; Kyle Corcoran, a Redpanda Data executive who holds the veteran seat; and real estate investor John Bickford. Most did not respond to inquiries about the meeting; Bickford declined to discuss Trust business.

The leadership shakeup has raised questions about the Presidio's future, particularly given the administration's interest in new uses for federal land. Burgum has championed building AI data centers on federal land, and the Bureau of Land Management is reviewing such proposals in six western states. The Presidio has not been identified as a candidate site, but federal land is exempt from local regulations, including San Francisco's rent control and other tenant protections. The city is currently weighing an extension of a moratorium on data center construction.

During his 2023 campaign, Trump proposed creating "Freedom Cities" on federal land—ten new cities intended to spur innovation and homeownership. Two outside urban planners suggested the Presidio as a potential site in 2024, but the White House has not designated it for such a project, and the idea has not advanced into a concrete federal plan.

Burgum toured the Presidio in July 2025 and praised its self-sufficient operating model. The Trust's commercial portfolio includes offices leased to venture capital firms like FoundersFund and Lucasfilm's One Letterman campus, now part of Disney. Revenue from leasing helps fund park upkeep, making board decisions central to balancing public mission with commercial sustainability.

The Trust's finances directly affect the Presidio's roughly 3,100 residents. Earlier this year, some tenants faced rent increases of up to 10% as the Trust adjusted rents to market levels and sought revenue to address a $500 million deferred maintenance backlog. Presidio housing is exempt from San Francisco's rent-control law and other local tenant protections. Residents have begun organizing to press the Trust over affordability concerns and to demand in-person board meetings; nearly two dozen residents spoke at a virtual board meeting in September.

Also looming is the departure of longtime Trust CEO Jean Fraser, who announced in February that she would step down at the end of the year. The board's search for her successor is ongoing.

Thursday's agenda includes a review of the Trust's past fiscal year and a preview of the next. It is unclear whether data centers or Freedom Cities will be discussed.