The legal battle over the future of East Potomac Golf Links will continue Monday. But President Donald Trump added a new wrinkle Sunday, announcing on Truth Social that its planned renovation of the historic site begins on November 15, closing the course for 15 months. Trump said that he and Architect Tom Fazio had ‘developed a plan’ which will allow the course to host major championships, Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups.
Trump also released a rendering of the proposed changes, which bear little resemblance to the existing course. The design shows a dramatically redone Hains Point, the peninsula where East Potomac sits, with a single 18-hole golf course that stretches from coast to coast. It also differs greatly from the more modest proposal that was presented earlier this year, eliminating Ohio Drive, a century-old cherry grove and a renowned miniature golf course. The changes would have reshaped a public recreation space used by golfers, walkers, cyclists, bird watchers and others.
I am pleased to announce that the Department of the Interior, under the auspices of Secretary Doug Burgum, and in conjunction with renowned golf course architect, Tom Fazio, has developed a plan to build a World Championship Golf Course on the site of the present East Potomac… pic.twitter.com/hzYcNyC3v3
– Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 18, 2026
This announcement could feature prominently in Monday’s court proceedings. In July, a judge ordered the administration to present her with someone long-term plans to strengthen the course and to avoid surprise remodeling projects, as happened with the East Wing of the White House and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
But last weekend, the Department of the Interior did just that, removing more than 400 trees in East Potomac and giving the court and a group suing to stop the change less than a day to respond. During a four-hour hearing last Monday, Judge Ana C. Reyes apologized to the Department of Justice for not being kept informed of the government’s plans. She accused the government of “double talk” for claiming in court that the tree’s removal was part of long-planned maintenance, and said officials had done “their absolute worst” to notify the court. Reyes spent much of the hearing trying to determine who gave permission for the surprise tree removal. This is expected to be the focus of Monday, when two officials of the Trump administration, Gregory Wischer of the Department of the Interior and Jessica Bowron, director of the National Park Service, were ordered to testify. Reyes also ordered the government not to clear any more trees until October 26 to give the group opposed to the plan time to respond.
Trump’s post could complicate the government’s position. Shortly after the appearance, Judge Reyes asked government lawyers to explain Sunday night why they testified Friday that “at most … the president has given preliminary thought” to any plan to redo the golf course.
JUST IN: Judge Reyes takes note of Trump’s position on the golf course and asks if the government abandons its original position that there has been no final decision. It is also invoked @ASGWoodward to court on Monday, presumably to address his disqualification motion. pic.twitter.com/6GT6M7TDvd
– Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 18, 2026
Groups opposing Trump’s planned renovation argue that the course will provide an affordable and accessible option for players in the Washington, D.C., metro area. They argue that the revision will increase the fees of the greens and reduce the availability of tee time, assessing some regulars. Critics also question whether the site could handle the traffic and infrastructure demands of professional tournaments.
In his post, Trump called East Potomac “old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect,” adding that it was “completely overrun, dysfunctional, and unsafe.” However, according to the National Trust Links, which operates East Potomac, the course will host 124,500 rounds in 2025, making it the busiest in the Washington, DC area.
Golf has been played on the Hains Point peninsula for 124 years. The facility currently includes an 18-hole Blue course, a 9-hole White course, a nine-hole Par 3 Red Course, a two-level driving range, practice areas and a clubhouse. Trump’s planned layout will reduce it to an 18-hole course, with a new clubhouse, a large driving range and a practice area. The rendering does not include the mini-golf course or the famous Japanese cherry grove, part of a gift of more than 3,000 trees from Japan to Washington in 1912.
Trump had already announced renovations on the Blue Course for more than a century East Potomac Golf Links It was supposed to start on September 1st, but that deadline has passed without the work starting. It has now set a new date set for a wide-ranging review, even as the fight over the property’s future continues.
“East Potomac Park is a national park, golf course and recreational facility that is meant for everyone to enjoy,” Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, which represents the group challenging the plan, said in a statement. “Our litigation is aimed at protecting this community jewel for the people and communities it serves.”
The next hearing is on Monday.