WASHINGTON — President Trump rolled out new renovation plans for the iconic East Potomac Golf Course and announced that it will be shut down for the next 15 months for the revamp.
Renovations that would transform it into a “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World” would begin Nov. 15, Trump claimed Sunday, as he glossed over the legal hurdles he has faced in the project.
“The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall.”
“When the East Potomac Course was originally built, it was famous for no trees, with views of Washington, D.C., for all to see, but now, it is completely overgrown, dysfunctional, and unsafe,” he added.
The Trump administration has faced legal snarls in its effort to renovate the golf course, with a judge temporarily stymying it from removing trees after more than 400 were cut down.
In May, District Judge Ana Reyes ordered the Trump administration to give notice of plans to cut down more than 10 trees.
On the Friday before Columbus Day weekend, just before the close of business, officials alerted the court of plans to cut “up to 529 trees.” By Saturday, some 430 trees were chopped down, resulting in Reyes scheduling an emergency hearing Monday.
The teed-off judge responded to Trump’s Sunday post and ordered the government to notify her by 8 p.m. whether a Friday court filing that stated the rebuilding plan was in the “preliminary” stages had changed.
The administration, which is being sued by the DC Preservation League and several other plaintiffs, is pushing for Reyes to be replaced.
Trump, who has publicly boasted about winning multiple tournaments at his own golf clubs, tapped Tom Fazio with the new designs.
Prior plans for the renovations at the course, which is about 2.3 miles away from the White House, miffed DC residents due to the apparent lack of biking and running paths there for the public. There have been numerous races at the 106-year-old park over the years.
For example, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association has championed a petition to protect Hains Point, a park and wildlife hub at the tip of East Potomac Park. The latest design Trump posted similarly appeared to get rid of those paths.
A blurred-out map of the renovation plans was seen on Trump’s desk in a photo posted by his former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia.
The East Potomac Golf Links and the other two major DC courses had been overseen by the National Park Service and National Links Trust.
But in December of last year, the administration directed the NPS to end its 50-year lease with the National Links Trust.
“The United States Golf Association, PGA of America, and the PGA Tour have already been notified that they will soon have one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World to put on their list of great places to play, and hold Major Events,” Trump added.
Democracy Forward, the group representing the plaintiffs fighting Trump’s renovation plans, had said it intended to “protect this community jewel” from “unlawful and harmful intrusion.”
