Politics · United States · 37 mins ago
Trump says East Potomac golf course renovation will start Nov. 15
Donald Trump says renovation of East Potomac Golf Links will begin Nov.
15 and close the Washington, DC, public course for about 15 months.
The 106-year-old course is near the White House and is operated as a public recreation space.
A federal judge has halted tree removal and restricted construction while she considers a lawsuit brought by a preservation group and two golfers.
The suit raises environmental and historic preservation concerns, while the administration says the work will address safety and improve the course.
Hundreds of trees have already been removed, though accounts give different totals: one says about 500, another says 430, and another cites 169 cut before the judge intervened.
The judge has ordered a pause in the tree clearing until at least Oct.
26 and scheduled a hearing on the case.
The administration has asked for the judge to be removed, and the legal challenge remains ongoing.
Donald Trump said renovation of East Potomac Golf Links in Washington will begin on November 15 and the course will reopen in about 15 months.
The planned work is part of an effort to redevelop the historic public golf course into a championship-level facility.
The announcement comes amid a lawsuit brought by the DC Preservation League and two golfers challenging the plans.
A federal judge has ordered a halt to tree removal and said construction requires prior court notification.
The Trump administration has asked for Judge Ana Reyes to be removed from the case, questioning her impartiality.
- Who
- President Donald Trump announced the renovation plan. The DC Preservation League and two golfers are challenging it in court.
- What
- East Potomac Golf Links is set to close for a renovation and reopen in about 15 months.
- When
- Trump said work would begin November 15, 2026.
- Where
- East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, DC.
- Why
- Trump said the course is old, in poor condition and unsafe. Opponents say the plans could harm its historic character and make it less affordable.
Trump administration
DC Preservation League and two local golfers
Purpose of the project
Trump administration
The administration says the course is in poor condition and the work would address safety concerns and create a championship-level course.
DC Preservation League and two local golfers
The challengers are seeking to stop the renovation, raising environmental and historic preservation concerns.
Tree removal
Trump administration
The administration has described the tree removal as safety-related maintenance and part of a plan predating Trump’s ambitions for the course.
DC Preservation League and two local golfers
The judge halted tree removal, while the challengers oppose the makeover and have brought a lawsuit against it.
Court proceedings
Trump administration
The administration has asked for Judge Ana Reyes to be removed, alleging bias and questioning her impartiality.
DC Preservation League and two local golfers
Reyes has ordered a halt to tree removal and required prior court notification before substantive construction work.
The DC Preservation League filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the administration’s takeover of the golf course.
Judge Ana Reyes ordered the White House to seek approval before cutting down more than 10 trees, according to the Guardian.
The administration asked Reyes to dismiss the litigation, saying the proposed project was at an early and conceptual stage.
The government removed about 500 trees from the site, according to the Straits Times.
The administration filed a motion seeking Reyes’s removal from the case.
Trump announced that renovation work would begin November 15.
- Planned start
- November 15, 2026
- Expected closure
- About 15 months
- Course
- East Potomac Golf Links, Washington, DC
- Judge
- Ana Reyes
- Tree removal
- About 500 trees, according to the Straits Times
- Plaintiffs
- DC Preservation League and two local golfers
4 sources
Trump says Washington golf course renovation to start in November, despite judge's order
Trump says he will close historic D.C. course for 15 months of renovations
If Trump fells 430 trees in the middle of a golf course, do they make a sound?
Trump administration seeks to remove judge in golf course case, accusing her of ‘egregious’ behavior
What people are saying
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.
The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect.
Judge Reyes’s conduct rises to the level of deep-seated and unequivocal antipathy toward the Trump Administration
The Trump Administration is entitled to a neutral forum and an adjudicator who is capable of maintaining the appearance of impartiality