Trump says East Potomac Golf Links will close Nov. 15 for a Fazio redesign as court fight over trees continues

As of 2:45 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026

President Donald Trump said Sunday that East Potomac Golf Links, a public course on National Park Service land in Washington, D.C., will close on Nov. 15 so that work can begin on a redesign by golf course architect Tom Fazio.

"Restoration work will begin on the Fazio Design on November 15th, when the old Course will be closed to play. The new Course will be opened in approximately 15 months," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He said the finished course "will be open to the Public" and able to host events such as the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup.

No cost estimate for the renovation has been made public, Golfweek reported.

Reuters reported that a federal judge had ordered that the renovation could not proceed without prior court notification. It said the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump's announcement would conflict with the judge's directives. Trump had said earlier this year that the work would begin in September, Reuters reported.

Court fight over trees

The announcement comes amid a federal lawsuit over the project. National Park Service crews cut down 430 trees at the course on Oct. 10, after giving the groups suing to stop the removal notice at 4:55 p.m. the day before, according to Golfweek.

At an emergency hearing Oct. 12, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes told government lawyers she was "furious" and "deeply disappointed in the government". She then barred further tree removal through Oct. 26 and ordered senior Interior Department and Park Service officials to testify at a hearing on Monday, Oct. 19, The Washington Post reported. The Park Service has said about 300 more trees could be removed.

Reuters put the number of trees removed at about 500. It reported that the government said the removal would improve safety at the park and restore its original design, and that it was part of a 2019 plan that predates Trump's ambitions for the course. In an Oct. 9 court filing, the administration had asked Reyes to dismiss the case as premature because the "proposed project remains at an early and conceptual stage," Reuters reported. The DC Preservation League filed the lawsuit in February, alleging that the takeover of the course would violate environmental laws and "irreparably destroy a priceless piece of American history," according to Reuters.

On Friday, the Justice Department asked Reyes to recuse herself and transfer the case, accusing her of bias and "animus" toward the administration, the Post reported. The motion was signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. It said Reyes's actions had shown "deep-seated and unequivocal antipathy toward the Trump Administration," Reuters reported, citing court records. According to the government's filing, the plaintiffs oppose the request. Reyes had not ruled on it as of this article's time stamp. The administration also asked her to lift the order blocking tree removal and to cancel Monday's hearing.

Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, said in a statement Sunday that its litigation is intended to "protect this community jewel for the people and communities it serves," according to Golfweek, citing the Associated Press.

Why it matters

Trump's Nov. 15 date sets a timeline for closing a public course while a federal judge is still weighing the challenge, with a court hearing scheduled for Monday.