Judge Blocks Further Changes to D.C. Golf Course as Trump Vows Work Will Begin Nov. 15

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from making further changes to East Potomac Park, the municipal golf course in Washington, D.C. that President Trump wants to turn into a championship-level venue. The ruling came Monday after weeks of tense hearings and late-night court filings.

The dispute intensified in recent weeks after the government cut down 430 trees on the course with less than a day's notice. Two lengthy hearings followed. Government officials repeatedly insisted the tree-clearing had nothing to do with the renovations Trump had promoted on social media, and said there was no final plan at all, even though the president's own posts from that morning suggested otherwise.

In a 70-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes wrote: "Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting president. And yet, here we are." She extended what had been a two-week pause on tree removal, ordering the government not to cut down, substantially prune or otherwise damage any trees at the park without a court order. She also required at least ten business days' written notice before any closure or irreversible modification of any part of the park while the case continues.

Reyes found that a renovation plan, which the plaintiffs call the "Washington National Plan," does appear to exist despite the administration's denials. She wrote that she could not pinpoint when it became final, but that it happened "well before October 15, 2026." She also rejected the government's explanation that the trees were cleared to carry out recommendations from a 2019 National Park Service report, calling that reasoning "pretextual." Most of that report's other recommendations, she noted, went largely unaddressed over the past seven years.

The judge was especially critical of Gregory Wischer, a deputy chief of staff at the Interior Department, who testified under oath. He was photographed in June carrying rolled-up concept plans while accompanying Trump and golf course architect Tom Fazio on a tour of the park. Reyes noted that Wischer maintained he had spontaneously become interested in tree and vegetation management in mid-September.

Reyes also found that the Interior Department likely violated the National Environmental Policy Act by improperly splitting up its review of the plan's environmental effects. Plaintiffs argue the government is treating the work as a series of smaller projects to avoid required environmental reviews. Administration officials had acknowledged at a July hearing that major renovations would require federal environmental and historic preservation reviews, but later argued the project could not be reviewed under the Administrative Procedure Act. Reyes declined to credit that argument.

The plaintiffs are the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers. Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, the nonprofit representing them, said the group was grateful the court stepped in and was eager to argue the case.

In a Truth Social post late Monday, Trump said the Department of the Interior would appeal. He repeated that construction will begin Nov. 15 and keep the park closed for 15 months, and said the judge has "absolutely no right to hold up this very important and beautiful Project." He added that the redeveloped course could host events such as the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup while remaining open to the public at a reduced rate for D.C. residents.

On Tuesday, Reyes made a record of Trump's post and gave the government about 24 hours to clarify whether a plan exists to close the park in mid-November and, if so, how that fits with what its lawyers told the court. She said she will schedule a status hearing for Friday or Monday. A rendering Trump shared earlier this month shows the park's three courses merged into one covering the peninsula, apparently without the perimeter road that runners and cyclists use daily.