WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Sunday that an overhaul of East Potomac Golf Links will begin next month, temporarily shuttering the historic public course for more than a year despite an active court battle over the project.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the Department of the Interior, directed by Secretary Doug Burgum, teamed with golf course designer Tom Fazio to craft blueprints for a championship venue at the Washington site. Trump stated that ground will be broken on Nov. 15 and that the grounds would remain closed for roughly 15 months during construction.
While Trump said the upgraded facility will remain accessible to the public, he added that it will be built to accommodate major tournaments, including the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. Trump called the project an economic boost for the district, arguing that the existing site is dilapidated, unsafe and burdened by sick trees and a crumbling seawall.
Court scrutiny and tree removals
The announcement follows sharp rebukes from U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who is handling a lawsuit brought by two local golfers and the D.C. Preservation League. The plaintiffs are trying to halt the administration from transforming the recreational area into an elite golf destination.
Reyes prohibited the administration from continuing to remove trees after crews cut down more than 400 trees over a single weekend. News accounts gave conflicting timelines for the temporary halt, with CBS News reporting the ban ran through Oct. 16, while NBC News and CNN reported the pause extended through Oct. 26. Reyes warned federal attorneys that any breach of her order, even by two seconds, would trigger contempt proceedings.
The administration asserted in legal filings that it aims to clear nearly 730 trees as routine maintenance, claiming the effort aligned with a 2019 master plan to revive the site’s original landscape. Reyes expressed open skepticism about that explanation in a written memorandum.
“It is a coincidence, the Government seems to suggest, that DOI cut down hundreds of trees at the Course weeks after the President asked DOI to cut down trees at the Course, and not, say, any other time in the last seven years. That asks rather a lot of coincidence,” Reyes wrote.
Heavy machinery used for the cutting was cleared from the property by Friday evening after Reyes mandated its removal, NBC4 Washington reported.
Administration seeks judge recusal
Tensions between the White House and the court escalated further on Friday when government attorneys requested that Reyes disqualify herself from presiding over the lawsuit. The administration accused the judge of lacking impartiality, pointing to what it characterized as theatrical conduct during court sessions.
Reyes had voiced fury during a Monday hearing, stating that the government had forfeited its credibility after moving forward with rapid tree felling without providing the court adequate advance warning. The judge ordered the administration to provide three business days of written notice before carrying out any irreparable alterations to the land.
The fight over East Potomac is part of a broader effort by Trump to remake prominent landmarks across Washington. Other recent projects include a planned White House ballroom, a proposed triumphal arch, a refurbishment of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and an extensive overhaul of the Kennedy Center.
What happens next in the dispute hinges on a court hearing scheduled for Monday. Reyes has directed the acting director of the National Park Service and the chief of staff for the Interior Department to appear and testify under oath regarding the administration’s actions at the course.
