Trump says he will close historic DC golf course for 15 months of
renovations
[October 19, 2026]
By MICHELLE L. PRICE
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday announced
plans to close a historic public golf course in the nation's capital for
15 months and redevelop it despite a court challenge to his long-sought
renovation.
Trump posted on social media about his intent to shutter the East
Potomac Golf Course, not far from the White House, starting Nov. 15 to
make it “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in
the World.”
A judge last week, however, ordered a halt to his redevelopment plans
until at least Oct. 26 after scolding the government for starting a
large-scale tree removal at the course over a holiday weekend while
providing little notice to the court or the plaintiffs trying to stop
the makeover.
Trump did not acknowledge the legal fight in his post, which included an
artist's rendering for the course redesign.
“When completed, it will be open to the Public while, at the same time,
designed to the Highest Level of Golf and able to hold World Class
Tournaments such as the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup,
and the Presidents Cup,” Trump wrote.
Democracy Forward, which is representing the plaintiffs challenging his
renovation plans, responded by saying that the course is part of a
national park and recreation facility that is meant for everyone to
enjoy.
“Our litigation is intended to protect this community jewel for the
people and communities it serves and we will continue to work with our
plaintiffs to defend it from unlawful and harmful intrusion,” Skye
Perryman, the president and CEO of the group, said in a statement.
The judge in the case 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 Friday that said “at most” Trump has
given “preliminary thought” to the rebuilding plan and “there is no
final agency action.”
The government responded by repeating that “there is no final agency
action” because the National Park Service has not completed its review
and the plan is not final. The filing, signed by Associate Attorney
General Stanley Woodward, also said the government, in stating this
position, had not been representing “the actual position or mental
impressions” of Trump but instead had relied on his public statements.
Capital makeover extends well beyond the fairways
Trump, a golf aficionado who plays often, had already announced plans to
makeover the links as part of his broader push to renovate and refurbish
places around Washington, including the White House and the Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts. Many of his projects, including plans
for a huge ballroom at the White House, the installation of his own name
on the Kennedy Center and construction of a massive arch, have been
challenged in courts.
The 106-year-old park and course has been the subject of many emergency
hearings as the president has sought to renovate it. While it has been
open to Washingtonians of all income levels, opponents of Trump's plans
to turn it into a high-end course have argued it will alter the
character of the space and make it less affordable to people.
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A golfer walks past cut down trees and piles of wood chips at the
East Potomac Golf Links, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump in his post echoed arguments he has made to justify his plans
to remake the Kennedy Center, arguing it is in such dangerous
condition that it needs to close.
“The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further
use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling,
dangerous, and disease infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing
and hazardous seawall,” Trump wrote.
Debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing to make way
for his ballroom project has also been dumped on the grounds. The
National Park Service has said the debris tested positive for lead,
chromium and other toxic metals.
Trump also sought to justify the National Park Service's removal of
hundreds of trees that the judge paused, writing in his announcement
that when the golf 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.”
Legal case returns to court and the administration seeks to
remove the judge
Trump’s post outlining a clear plan for construction complicates a
federal court hearing scheduled for Monday in a lawsuit filed by the
DC Preservation League and two golfers opposing the construction.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes has ordered key members of the
Republican administration to testify on the recent tree-cutting and
whether those actions are tied to the president’s plans for the
historical public links.
The administration on Friday asked for Reyes to be replaced on the
case, questioning her impartiality and citing what it called
“egregious” behavior from the bench in response to an emergency
hearing Oct. 12. Her frustration boiled over in a three-hour hearing
when she lambasted the government’s attorney for the lack of
notification she and the plaintiffs received before the trees were
chopped down.
At the upcoming hearing, the judge is expected to address the
request that she step aside. Meanwhile, over the weekend the
plaintiffs asked that she grant them a more long-standing
preliminary injunction in the case and/or a stay.
___
Associated Press writer Gary Fields in Washington contributed to
this report.
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