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Donald Trump Orders East Potomac Golf Course Closed For 15 Months Amid Court Fight
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Trump announced 15-month closure of East Potomac Golf Links for renovations. Closure amid ongoing court challenge over redevelopment and tree removal.
9 outlets told this the same way.
15-Month Closure Planned
President Donald Trump announced plans to close Washington, D.C.'s East Potomac Golf Course for 15 months starting Nov. 15 to carry out a major renovation.
Trump said the renovated course would be “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World,” and he said it would remain open to the public after the work is completed.
Trump framed the project as necessary because he described the current course as “old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect,” citing falling, dangerous, and disease infested trees and a collapsing and hazardous seawall.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered a halt to the redevelopment plans until at least Oct. 26 after scolding the government for starting large-scale tree removal over a holiday weekend with little notice to the court or the plaintiffs.
Trump did not acknowledge the legal fight in his post, which included an artist’s rendering for the course redesign.
Court Fight and Responses
Democracy Forward said the course is part of a national park and recreation facility meant for everyone to enjoy, and Skye Perryman said, “Our litigation is intended to protect this community jewel for the people and communities it serves.”
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes took notice of Trump’s online message and ordered the government to notify her by 8 p.m. EDT Sunday whether its position had changed from a court filing that said “there is no final agency action.”
The judge also restricted further tree-cutting and landscaping, and she told federal lawyers the government should have alerted litigants in the court fight over the area days earlier.
Trump’s post added pressure to a federal court hearing scheduled for Monday in a lawsuit filed by the DC Preservation League and two golfers opposing the construction.
The Trump administration asked Reyes to be replaced, and the administration questioned her impartiality while citing what it called “egregious” behavior from the bench.
What Comes Next
The renovation plan is tied to a broader effort to renovate and refurbish prominent Washington, D.C. locations, including changes to the White House and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Trump said the Department of the Interior, under the auspices of Secretary Doug Burgum, and in conjunction with golf course architect Tom Fazio, developed “a plan to build a World Class Championship Golf Course on the site of the current East Potomac Golf Links.”
Trump said the administration’s plan would be designed to host world class tournaments including the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup, and the Presidents Cup.
The National Park Service said debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, and the judge’s orders kept the dispute centered on what the government could do next.
The upcoming hearing is set to include testimony under oath, and Reyes required Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward to attend the hearing.