President Donald Trump announced Sunday on social media that his planned renovation of a historic municipal golf course in Washington, D.C., would begin Nov. 15 and close the facility for 15 months.
His long-sought plans for the East Potomac Golf Course face a court challenge seeking to protect the 106-year-old park and course for affordable and accessible recreation use by the public. Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that he wants to make the course, which is not far from the White House, “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World.”
“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.
A federal court hearing already was scheduled for Monday in a lawsuit against the construction filed by the DC Preservation League and two golfers. The plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward.
“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 Democracy Forward, said in a statement.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes had in July ordered the administration to show her any long-term plans to overhaul the course.
Last weekend, however, the Interior Department removed over 400 trees at the golf course. The court and the group behind the lawsuit were given less than a day to respond to stop the change.
Reyes held a four-hour hearing last Monday scolding the Justice Department for failing to update her on the government’s plans, saying officials had done “their absolute worst” to notify the court. She said a claim in court that the tree removal was part of a long-scheduled maintenance was “double-speak.”
The judge ordered two Trump administration officials to testify this Monday on who ignored the court and approved of the surprise tree removal. Gregory Wischer of the Interior Department and Jessica Bowron, acting director of the National Park Service, are scheduled to appear before the court. Reyes also ordered that no more trees are removed before Oct. 26, giving the plaintiffs time to respond.
Trump’s announcement ran counter to the government’s court filing on Friday, which said the president had, “at most,” given “preliminary thought” to renovations and “there is no final agency action.”
Reyes responded on Sunday by ordering the government to notify her by 8 p.m. EDT whether its position had changed.
The administration requested on Friday that Reyes be replaced on the case.
While opponents have argued against a high-end course and question whether the site could handle the infrastructure demands of professional tournaments, Trump wrote on Sunday that the facility must close because of its condition.
“The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect,” Trump wrote. “It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall.”
Trump’s ballroom project led to the demolition of the White House East Wing, with debris dumped on the grounds of East Potomac. The debris has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, according to the National Park Service.
In his post, the president also contended that the original golf course “was famous for no trees, with views of Washington, D.C., for all to see, but now, it is completely overgrown, dysfunctional, and unsafe.”