President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that East Potomac Golf Links, the historic public course in Washington, D.C., will close to play on November 15 so it can be rebuilt as a championship course. In a Truth Social post, he said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's department and architect Tom Fazio drew up the plan, and the new course would open "in approximately 15 months."
Trump said the course "will be open to the Public" while being "able to hold World Class Tournaments such as the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup, and the Presidents Cup." He called the current course "old, broken, dilapidated," with "falling, dangerous, and disease infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall." He said it was once "famous for no trees" but is now "completely overgrown."
His post did not mention the court case. Last week, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington halted tree removal at the course until at least October 26. The National Park Service had cut about 430 trees over the October 10–11 holiday weekend with little notice to the court. The government linked the work to an older tree management plan. Reyes wrote that officials moved because Trump "demands haste on his redesign." The lawsuit was filed by the DC Preservation League and two local golfers.
On Friday, the Justice Department asked Reyes to step aside. The motion, signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr., says she "repeatedly belittled and shouted at" a government lawyer and calls her conduct "nothing short of egregious." The plaintiffs say they are "aware of no basis for disqualification or recusal." The next hearing is set for Monday, October 19.
Photo: Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
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