President Donald Trump’s renovation project for East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., has been paused one day before the historic Hains Point space was set to close for 15 months.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday, which was obtained by The Athletic, on the eve of the course’s planned closure. Trump had previously announced East Potomac Golf Links and the park would close on Sunday, although the judge ruled that Trump’s order to close the space appeared to be the start of the renovation process in transforming the area into his desired 18-hole championship design.
The course and park will remain open for now.
“President Trump directed this closure for one reason: so that work could begin on a new Fazio Design to replace the current East Potomac Golf Course,” Reyes wrote in her ruling. The judge also said the Trump administration was not required to operate the course as the case proceeded.
Saturday was just the latest development in a complex story that’s dominated the news cycle the last couple of months.
In a Truth Social post before the ruling Saturday, Trump said East Potomac, which is federally owned, is the “Worst Golf Course anywhere in the World” and that its fairways are too close together. He had previously called it “dangerous.”
Recently, the government submitted a proposal for East Potomac Golf Links and the park to the National Capital Planning Commission. East Potomac Golf Links is 36 holes (one 18-hole course and two nine-hole courses), although the proposal called for a project that would transform it into an upscale 18-hole championship course that can host major championships and even a Ryder Cup. The plan also eliminated some of the park’s public recreational space used by walkers, cyclists and non-golfers.
Trump’s plan was opposed by locals with few accessible and affordable golf options in the area, as well as those who frequented the park and wanted to preserve it.
Last month, more than 400 trees were cut down on the course, although Reyes prohibited the administration from removing any more trees without obtaining a court order.
Reyes’ first sentence of her Saturday ruling read: “The Department of the Interior has progressed from removing the trees to removing the people from East Potomac Park.”
