President Donald Trump is making clear he has no intention of backing down from his plans to overhaul a popular public golf course in Washington, D.C. — even after a federal judge ordered work halted at the site.
In a Truth Social post late Monday, Trump said the East Potomac Golf Course would close as scheduled on November 15, despite a court order blocking future work tied to his redevelopment plan. He also attacked the judge’s authority to require advance notice of certain activities at the park, calling the requirement unconstitutional.
The defiant post came just hours after U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes granted a preliminary injunction sought by a preservationist group and local golfers. The order was aimed at stopping the administration from cutting down trees at East Potomac Park as part of the project.
Trump said his administration would immediately appeal the ruling.
“The judge has absolutely no right to hold up this very important and beautiful Project,” he wrote, adding that the administration was seeking an immediate remedy from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The clash raises a bigger question: Will the administration comply with the court’s restrictions while it appeals, or will Trump push ahead with a project a federal judge has ordered halted?
Trump has enlisted renowned golf course architect Tom Fazio to help transform East Potomac Golf Links into an 18-hole, championship-length facility. The president says the revamped course could become a world-class public destination capable of attracting professional tournaments to the nation’s capital.
He has also promised that the course would remain open to the public, with reduced rates for Washington, D.C., residents.
But the proposal goes beyond improving the golf course. The redevelopment plan would eliminate existing walking and biking trails at East Potomac Park, raising concerns about what the project could mean for residents who use the public space for recreation beyond golf.
Questions have also been raised about whether the revamped course would remain genuinely affordable and how feasible the ambitious redevelopment would be.
Trump insists the work must begin immediately to meet seasonal construction deadlines.
“The Development of this World Championship Public Facility must begin, immediately, if it is to be completed in a timely and seasonal manner,” he wrote.
He also dismissed the judge’s involvement, arguing that she lacks expertise in golf, architecture, landscaping and construction.
But the dispute is not simply about whether a judge has experience designing golf courses. The court has intervened over concerns addressed in the lawsuit, including the planned tree cutting. Trump’s administration cannot simply treat a judicial order as optional because the president disagrees with it.
East Potomac Golf Links has been operated for several years by the National Links Trust, a local nonprofit focused on preserving and improving affordable public golf in Washington.
The Trump administration terminated the trust’s lease last December, setting the stage for a major change in the course’s future.
Under the nonprofit’s management, East Potomac had become a model for accessible public golf, with a particular emphasis on junior players and beginners. Supporters of the existing operation have argued that public courses should remain affordable and available to ordinary residents, not simply be transformed into championship venues.
Trump and his allies, however, contend that the course needs major improvements.
In his post, the president described the existing layout as dangerous, arguing that its narrow fairways sit too close together and expose golfers to wayward shots.
He argues that a major redesign would address those problems while creating a destination worthy of professional competition.
Trump says the project will proceed on schedule and has promised an immediate appeal. But an appeal does not automatically authorize the administration to resume prohibited work. recreation that has made the park valuable to local residents.
