USAupdated 58m ago2 min read
Trump’s East Potomac Golf Links Plan Could Close Hains Point For 15 Months
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Trump seeks to convert East Potomac Golf Links into a single championship-style course. The plan entails taking over the public park facility, reducing access and use.
Explore source coverage 3 source types
Directory totals describe our source library, not outlets checked for this story.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Court Fight Over Hains Point
President Trump’s express wish to take over the East Potomac Golf Links has thrust the municipal D.C. golf course into the national spotlight, with locals warning the southern tip of East Potomac Park known as Hains Point could lose its recreational uses.
Congress created Hains Point in 1897 “to be forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people,” and the proposed redesign would keep the entire park closed for 15 months starting in November.
A federal court fight followed the National Park Service cutting down hundreds of trees this month, and US District Judge Ana Reyes barred further tree removal through Oct. 26.
Reyes on Oct. 13 granted the D.C. Preservation League a temporary restraining order blocking further tree removal, and the order lasts until next Monday.
The National Park Service removed about 430 healthy, non-invasive trees after the Interior Department’s rapid approval of a tree-management plan.
Voices, Timing, and Claims
Elizabeth Kiker, the executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, said Hains Point is “such an important part of the fabric of this region, even though it's not very well known [beyond it],” and she tied her own bike rides there to a second date 20 years ago.
Ashley Hawkins of Prince George's County, Md., said, “Running is so tied to my mental health,” and she added, “And no place in this area has given me the peace that Hains Point has.”
Reyes warned the government it shouldn’t “act first and ask forgiveness later,” and she questioned the timing and scope of the tree removal.
Trump posted Oct. 19, “Our Plan, developed to the Highest Levels and Standards of Golf, will turn Trash Island into an Island of Beauty and Success!”
Reyes found the government’s notice objectionable because it gave notice of its plan at 4:55 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, that it would cut trees within 15 hours.
What Happens Next
The situation is setting the table for Trump to seek appellate review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as political prognosticators predicted Democrats could gain control of the House of Representatives and possibly also the U.S. Senate in the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
The new Congress is to be sworn in on Jan. 3, and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) could become chair of the Judiciary Committee and schedule hearings and investigations.
Judge Ana Reyes held a hearing on Monday to learn more about the tree-clearing and decide whether to block further work on the golf course.
Reyes emphasized that “Destroyed trees cannot be replaced,” and her view that the “ground landscape and vistas” of the public course are “irrevocably altered.”
Trump vowed to close East Potomac on Nov. 15 for about 15 months, while the future remained uncertain after Reyes questioned the administration’s rationale for cutting the trees before finalizing plans.