Trump says he doesn’t need court approval for golf course overhaul; Judge presses administration
WASHINGTON, DC: A federal Judge on Monday, Oct 19, pressed the Trump administration over its plan to shut down and renovate East Potomac Park next month, amid a court order halting further tree removal at the historic public golf course.
The Trump administration plans to redesign Washington, DC's historic East Potomac Golf Links into a championship-level venue. However, the administration says the course will remain open to the public rather than become a private club.
Judge presses admin after Trump says he doesn’t need permission
Monday’s hearing came as President Donald Trump argued in a Truth Social post that his administration did not need the court’s approval to proceed with the redevelopment. The plan involves a major overhaul of East Potomac Golf Links, which Trump has said will close for 15 months beginning November 15.
The hearing came a week after an earlier court proceeding on the same issue, during which US District Judge Ana Reyes scolded federal government lawyers for claiming they were unaware of the tree removal from public property despite the court’s direction to provide notice before making irreversible changes.
Reprimanding the government’s lawyers, Reyes told them that “ignorance is not an excuse.”
She again pressed Department of the Interior officials about their knowledge of plans for the historic site after Trump said in social media posts that the redevelopment plans were already in place and that work would begin on November 15, when the existing golf courses were scheduled to close.
“There is no universe in which all of this just coincidentally happened at the same time,” Reyes said more than an hour into the proceedings
Interior Department official testifies before court
Testifying before the court, Gregory Wischer, the deputy chief of staff for the Department of the Interior, said that he learned of the “tree management plan” on Oct. 5. . He said it was part of a series of Washington, DC, beautification projects being undertaken by the administration.
The president also directly attacked US District Judge Ana Reyes in a separate social media post over the weekend, calling her “insane.”
Meanwhile, the Justice Department filed a motion on Friday, October 16, asking Reyes to recuse herself from the golf course case. Reyes rejected the request and declined to step aside.
The lawsuit, brought by the DC Preservation League and two individual golfers, challenges the Trump administration’s plan to overhaul the historic golf courses, which sit on National Park Service land, arguing that the redevelopment is unlawful.
East Potomac is used by golfers, bikers and joggers and is considered a relatively affordable option for junior and beginner golfers.
