Fact Check: Did Trump move East Wing rubble to DC golf course?

WASHINGTON, DC: As crews demolish the White House East Wing, rumors are spreading online that President Trump plans to use the rubble to upgrade a DC golf course. 

The White House began tearing down the East Wing this week to make way for Trump’s long-anticipated $300 million ballroom.

Trump’s plans to build a new White House ballroom have already stirred tension among Democrats, and now online rumors that he might use the East Wing rubble for a golf course are adding even more controversy.

Claim: East Wing rubble moved to DC golf course

Reports show that workers moved dirt from the White House East Wing demolition to a Washington, DC, golf course that Trump may want to improve. Trucks carried rubble from the East Wing to East Potomac Park, an island in the Potomac River, The Washington Post reports.

A source told the Post that some of the dirt will form mounds at the nearby public golf course. USA Today also reported seeing trucks bring debris to the golf course, and photos of new dirt piles there have circulated online.

A source confirmed that the dirt “will be used to form mounds at the nearby public golf course.” Journalist Martin Austermuhle visited the course and said multiple workers told him that the dirt came from the East Wing site and is “used to create new terrain on the course.”

This news comes two months after Politico reported that Trump was planning to refurbish and rebrand the course. The idea started with a staffer’s suggestion, which Trump approved by signing a rendering of a golden logo similar to those of his private clubs. The redesign proposal included a new name: “Washington National Golf Course.”

The National Park Service and the nonprofit National Links Trust signed a 50-year lease in 2020 to operate the East Potomac site. Under that agreement, the course remains open to the public.

Reports about Trump moving dirt from the White House East Wing to a golf course are partially correct, but they don’t tell the full story. Workers have transported some construction debris, including dirt and other materials, to East Potomac Park, where the East Potomac Golf Course is located. However, the exact amount of debris and the purpose of moving it remain unclear.

Not all materials from the demolition are going to the golf course. Historical items from the East Wing, including former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s original office, have been preserved and are likely to be moved elsewhere.

The White House has not shared detailed information about how all the debris is being allocated, leaving some parts of the project undisclosed. In short, while some dirt from the East Wing is going to the golf course, the full plan and purpose behind the move are not fully transparent.

Trump's White House plans face backlash from Dems

Trump’s decision to demolish the White House East Wing to build his ballroom has sparked widespread criticism among Democrats.

Hillary Clinton condemned the move on X, saying, “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren also spoke out, “This is Trump’s presidency in a single photo: Illegal, destructive, and not helping you.”

Patti Davis, former President Ronald Reagan’s daughter, criticized the demolition in a New York Times opinion essay.

She wrote, “The images we’ve now all seen of the East Wing being demolished are heartbreaking. Over the centuries, many presidents have altered the White House, and certainly older buildings need to be updated and repaired. But this is complete destruction.”