Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday that “restoration work will begin” on November 15 on a historic public golf course in Washington, DC, despite a federal judge’s order to halt his plans for environmental and historic preservation reasons.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ruled earlier this year that the federal government must provide advance notice before major construction on the East Potomac Golf Course can begin, and last week issued an order halting tree felling at the site, which she called “inexcusable.”
Trump said in an article on Truth Social on Sunday that work on the golf course would begin Nov. 15 and it would reopen in about 15 months. He wrote that the facility would be transformed into “one of the best and most spectacular golf courses in the world.” Trump did not acknowledge the legal fight in his message, which included an artist’s rendering of the course redesign.
The judge in the case took note of Trump’s online post and ordered the government to let him know by 8 p.m. ET on Sunday whether its position had changed from a court filing Friday that said “at most” Trump had given “preliminary consideration” to the rebuilding plan and “there is no final agency action.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump’s announcement Sunday would conflict with Reyes’ directives.
The renovation is part of a number of projects Trump was pursuing to remodel “the White House and” other Washington landmarks. Many of his plans, including a massive ballroom at the White House, putting his own name on the Kennedy Center and building a massive arch, have been challenged in court.
The 106-year-old park and golf course alone have been the subject of numerous emergency hearings as the president sought to renovate them. Although it is open to Washingtonians of all income levels, opponents of Trump’s plan to make it an upscale course have argued that it would change the character of the space and make it less affordable for people.
Democracy Forward, which represents plaintiffs challenging his plans to renovate the golf course, responded to Trump by saying the course is part of a national park and recreational facility that everyone can enjoy. “Our litigation aims to protect this community gem for the people and communities it serves and we will continue to work with our plaintiffs to defend it against illegal and harmful intrusion,” Skye Perryman, the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
The DC Preservation League filed a lawsuit in February to stop the administration’s takeover of the golf course, alleging it would violate environmental laws and “irreparably destroy a priceless piece of American history.”
In an Oct. 9 court filing, the Trump administration had asked Reyes to dismiss the litigation, saying it was premature because “the proposed project is still in an early and conceptual stage.”
The next day, however, the government removed about 500 trees from the site, which it said would improve the park’s safety and restore its original design, and was part of a 2019 plan that predated Trump’s ambitions for the course. Reyes ordered the removals to stop.
Reyes also ordered key members of the Republican administration to testify about the recent tree cutting and whether those actions are related to the president’s plans for historic public ties.
On Friday, the government filed a motion to disqualify Reyes and transfer the case to another district judge, saying his actions demonstrated “deep and unequivocal antipathy” and “open hostility” toward the Trump administration, according to court records. The plaintiffs in this case oppose the motion.
Reyes was nominated to the federal bench by Joe Biden in 2023.
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