On the eve of a planned closure for a federal redesign, the President turned his attention to East Potomac Golf Links, a century-old public course on the Potomac, calling it a ruin and promising something far grander. The moment sits at the intersection of a familiar American impulse, to remake public places in one's own image, and the slower machinery of courts that asks whether those remakings are proper. Whether the promised transformation arrives on schedule, or becomes another chapter in a long argument over who shapes shared ground, remains open.
Trump Mocks D.C.'s East Potomac Golf Course as 'Trash Island' Ahead of Overhaul
A last public jab at its condition before work begins
Mark
Why does a post about a golf course matter beyond golf?
Mimi
Because it's a public course on federal land near the National Mall, and the president is publicly attacking the judge who is overseeing a legal fight over the work.
Mark
What exactly is the judge doing?
Mimi
Ana Reyes said she'd open a formal inquiry into whether administration attorneys violated ethical boundaries, and she temporarily halted more tree cutting.
Luke
Worth noting those are two separate things. The inquiry is about lawyers' conduct. The tree pause is temporary and tied to a legal challenge. Neither is a ruling that the project is illegal.
Mark
Trump says the course is dangerous. Is that established?
Luke
No. That's his characterization, backed by photos that the report says only appear to show the course. Nothing independent confirms danger.
Mimi
The tournament talk is similar. He says it could host the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup, but that's a promise, not a scheduled event.
Mark
And the half-price play for locals?
Luke
Also his statement. No details on how it would work were given.
Mimi
What is solid is the timeline: closure the next day, Tom Fazio as designer, and a century of public golf on that land.
Luke
And how the court fight affects the schedule is still unknown.
Il Polso
- A president's Saturday post branded the public course 'Trash Island' just a day before its scheduled shutdown.
- A federal judge's formal inquiry into administration attorneys' ethics has thrown a legal wrench into the overhaul.
- A temporary halt on tree removal leaves the redesign suspended between legal challenge and ambitious promises.
- Tom Fazio's redesign stands ready, but the path to hosting championship golf runs straight through a courtroom.
On the eve of a planned closure for a federal redesign, the President turned his attention to East Potomac Golf Links, a century-old public course on the Potomac, calling it a ruin and promising something far grander. The moment sits at the intersection of a familiar American impulse, to remake public places in one's own image, and the slower machinery of courts that asks whether those remakings are proper. Whether the promised transformation arrives on schedule, or becomes another chapter in a long argument over who shapes shared ground, remains open.
On a Saturday, one day before East Potomac Golf Links was set to close for a major overhaul, President Donald Trump shared photos of the course on Truth Social and called it "Trash Island." He described it as the worst course in the world, complained that its fairways sit too close together, and warned that walking its grounds means listening for shouts of "FORE!" rather than the sound of the Potomac. The post also took aim at U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, whom he accused of slowing a fix he considers both quick and inexpensive.
The redesign was announced in May as a "historic restoration" of the public course on federally owned land near the National Mall. Since then, the project has encountered friction. Reyes has said she will open a formal inquiry into whether administration attorneys crossed ethical lines in a legal dispute over the work, and she has temporarily halted further tree cutting while a challenge plays out.
Trump's vision is expansive. He imagines the course hosting the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, and he promises half-price rounds for area residents. Golf architect Tom Fazio is set to lead the work. The coming months will reveal whether the court dispute delays that effort and whether the course can live up to the championship status now promised for it.
On a Saturday, one day before East Potomac Golf Links was due to close for a major overhaul, President Donald Trump posted photos on Truth Social of a course he now calls "Trash Island." The pictures appear to show the public D.C. course in poor shape, and the post amounted to a last public jab at its condition before work begins.
Trump called it the "worst" course in the world and said the Department of the Interior is going to turn it into the best golf course anywhere. He also described the grounds as "very dangerous." His complaint was about the layout: the fairways, he wrote, are far too close together. Walking the corridors, he said, you don't hear the Potomac running, only people yelling "FORE!"
The post also aimed at U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes. Trump wrote that she does not want the administration to fix up the course quickly and inexpensively. He added that he hopes she will come to agree that the project will greatly enhance the dignity, beauty and importance of Washington, D.C., and that she will one day be proud to see it.
The project has run into obstacles. In May, the National Links Trust announced that the Trump administration would give East Potomac, a public course, what it called a "historic restoration." Since then, Reyes has said she would open a "formal inquiry" into whether attorneys for the administration crossed ethical boundaries during a legal dispute over the work.
Tree removal has drawn scrutiny too. Reyes recently halted additional cutting on a temporary basis while a legal challenge over the work at the property plays out.
Trump's vision for the finished course is ambitious. He said it could host major tournaments, including the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. He also said D.C.-area residents would be able to play for half price. Golf course architect Tom Fazio will handle the redesign.
The course sits on federally owned land in East Potomac Park, along the Potomac near the National Mall, and has been part of Washington's public golf scene for more than a century.
What to watch now is whether the court dispute slows the Fazio redesign, and whether the course can actually deliver the championship-level status Trump has promised.
Citazioni salienti
Judge Ana Reyes doesn't want us to quickly and inexpensively fix up the Course.— President Donald Trump, Truth Social
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