Politics 4 min read By Alice Ashford
Trump to close East Potomac golf course for 15 months despite court order
The US president says the historic Washington course will shut from 15 November for a redesign, even as a federal judge has paused tree removal and ordered officials to explain their actions.
President Donald Trump has announced that the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington will close for 15 months from 15 November for a sweeping redevelopment, despite a federal judge having halted work on the site until at least 26 October. In a social media post, Trump said the aim was to make the 106-year-old public course «one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World», and he published an artist's rendering of the planned redesign.
The announcement did not acknowledge the legal fight that has engulfed the project. Last week a judge ordered a stop to redevelopment work after criticising the government for beginning large-scale tree removal over a holiday weekend with little notice to the court or to the plaintiffs seeking to block the makeover. The judge has now demanded that the government tell her by 8pm on Sunday whether its position has changed from a court filing on Friday, which said Trump had given «at most» preliminary thought to the rebuilding plan and that «there is no final agency action».
Trump used the post to argue that the course is in dangerous condition, describing it as «old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect», with «falling, dangerous, and disease infested trees» and a «collapsing and hazardous seawall». He also said that when the course was originally built it was famous for having no trees, with views across Washington, but that it is now «completely overgrown, dysfunctional, and unsafe». The National Park Service has said debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing, cleared to make way for a ballroom project, was dumped on the grounds and tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals.
The course sits within a national park and recreation facility, and opponents argue that turning it into a high-end venue would alter the character of a space long open to Washingtonians of all income levels and make it less affordable. Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, said the litigation was intended to protect «this community jewel for the people and communities it serves». Its president and chief executive, Skye Perryman, said the group would continue to defend the course «from unlawful and harmful intrusion».
The case returns to court on Monday in a lawsuit brought by the DC Preservation League and two golfers. US District Judge Ana Reyes has ordered key members of the administration to testify about the recent tree-cutting and whether it is tied to the president's plans for the historic public links. The administration has asked for Reyes to be replaced, questioning her impartiality and citing what it called «egregious» behaviour from the bench during an emergency hearing on 12 October, when she rebuked the government's lawyer over the lack of notification before the trees were felled. The judge is expected to address that request at the hearing, while the plaintiffs have asked for a longer-lasting preliminary injunction or a stay.
The golf course is part of a wider programme of renovations Trump has announced around the capital, including work at the White House and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Several of those projects, among them a large ballroom at the White House, the installation of his name at the Kennedy Center and the construction of a monumental arch, have also been challenged in court. Trump, an avid golfer, has argued that the East Potomac site could host world-class tournaments including the US Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup once the work is complete.
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