President Trump wants to turn a run-down Washington, D.C. golf course into a championship venue, but a federal judge just slammed the brakes after hundreds of trees vanished overnight.
Quick Take
- Trump announced East Potomac Golf Links will close November 15 for a 15-month, championship-level rebuild.
- Crews removed more than 400 trees over Columbus Day weekend, with plans for up to 529.
- Judge Ana Reyes halted further tree removal and demanded officials explain themselves under oath.
- Trump called Reyes a “crazed lunatic” on Truth Social after the ruling went against his administration.
- Justice Department lawyers told the court no final decision existed, even as Trump publicly announced a start date.
Trump Pushes Ahead With Golf Course Overhaul
Trump announced on Truth Social that East Potomac Golf Links would shut down November 15 for a 15-month transformation into a championship-level course. NBC News reported the president described the project as an active plan, not just an idea. ABC News reported Trump’s goal is a course good enough to host professional tournaments, a serious economic and recreational upgrade for a public park many golfers call outdated.
The administration backed up that announcement with real work on the ground. National Park Service and Interior Department crews removed more than 400 trees over Columbus Day weekend. Officials told the court they planned to remove up to 529 trees total, and at least 430 were already down by the end of the first day. That is not a hypothetical project sitting on a shelf. That is heavy equipment already moving.
Hundreds of Trees Fall Before Court Can Act
Justice Department officials pointed to a 2019 Cultural Landscape Report calling for removal of dead, dying, and hazardous trees as the legal basis for the work. They argued the recent removals were separate from Trump’s broader redesign plans. But the timing raised eyebrows fast. Hundreds of trees came down just as Trump was publicly promoting his golf course vision, and the overlap did not sit well with the court.
Judge Ana Reyes had already told government lawyers she expected advance notice before any major or irreversible work at the site. Instead, officials notified the court only shortly before crews removed hundreds of trees, according to multiple reports. Reyes responded by ordering senior Interior and National Park Service officials to testify about who authorized the operation and why it moved so fast.
Judge Reyes Halts Work and Demands Answers
Reyes barred the administration from removing any more trees through October 26. She also required three business days’ written notice before any irreversible change to the course. Reporting described her ruling as accusing officials of a “breakneck” pace tied directly to Trump’s redesign ambitions, rather than routine upkeep under the older 2019 plan. The Washington Post reported Reyes wrote that officials “raced” to act because Trump wanted speed.
During a hearing before Judge Ana Reyes, Dr. Kevin Griess, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said that Trump lied when he said he had to remove hundreds of "falling, dangerous, disease-infested trees" at East Potomac Park's golf course. https://t.co/5LRrWAfJfR
— jonbandit (@OldManLefty1) October 20, 2026
Trump fired back on Truth Social, calling Reyes a “crazed lunatic” after the ruling. The insult grabbed headlines, but it does not change the legal questions sitting in front of the judge. Reyes’s order rests on specific facts: the tree count, the missed notice requirement, and the timing next to Trump’s public announcement. Calling a judge names does not answer those facts, even if the frustration behind it is understandable to supporters who see a popular, overdue project getting tangled in court.
DOJ’s Shifting Story Raises Questions
Here is where the administration’s own lawyers created a headache. Justice Department attorneys argued in court that no final agency action existed and the project remained preliminary. Meanwhile, Trump was telling the public a start date and a 15-month timeline. NBC News reported Reyes ordered the administration to clarify whether it still believed no final decision had been made, given Trump’s own announcement.
That contradiction matters for readers who want the administration to win this fight on the merits. If government lawyers say a project is not real while the president says it is already moving, that gap gives judges and critics an easy opening. A unified, well-documented legal strategy would make it far harder for a court to paint the administration as acting in bad faith or skipping required steps.
East Potomac has been public parkland since Congress set it aside in 1897, and the National Park Service is legally required to conserve historic features while keeping the land open for public use. That dual mission is exactly why disputes like this keep landing in federal court whenever an administration moves fast on redevelopment. Conservatives who want the course rebuilt should want it rebuilt the right way, with paperwork that holds up, so no judge can stall it on a technicality.
Sources:
twitchy.com, npr.org, abc7.com, inquirer.com, nbcnews.com, nytimes.com, cbsnews.com, bellinghamherald.com
