Judge halts renovation at East Potomac as Trump calls popular muni golf course ‘extremely dangerous’

Judge pauses course changes

Judge Ana C. Reyes issued a preliminary injunction Monday barring the Interior Department from making several changes to East Potomac Golf Links. Her ruling came weeks after National Park Service crews removed more than 400 trees during the Oct. 10 weekend.

Reyes said she had hoped the dispute could be settled without court intervention. She wrote that the government had acted in a way it had assured others it would not.

Dispute over tree removal

The government said the tree removal followed recommendations in a 2019 report to restore the course’s original links-style landscape. It denied that the work was an opening move in Trump’s vision for the property.

Reyes first stopped further tree cutting for 24 hours, then extended that pause through Oct. 26. At a hearing the previous Monday, she said the cutting, Trump’s announcement of a closure beginning Nov. 15 and the public presentation of redesign plans could not reasonably be treated as coincidental.

Trump says renovation will proceed

Trump said Monday night that the renovation plan would stay on schedule. The next day, he posted on Truth Social that the course was “extremely dangerous,” arguing that narrow fairways put golfers at risk from errant shots.

He said the site would close as planned on Nov. 15 for renovation and rebuilding, citing competition, safety, modernization and appearance. Trump also said his administration would seek immediate relief from the D.C. Circuit Court.

Court leaves case unresolved

Reyes described the case as another clash between golf and government. She said the injunction did not resolve the dispute, but held matters in place while both sides litigate it fully and fairly. The injunction temporarily blocks specified changes by the Interior Department; Trump says the planned closure and renovation will still go ahead.