The Aporia
Nguyen, A. (2026, October 18). Trump Plows Forward With Plan to Build the Golf Course of His Dreams in DC. Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/trump-golf-course-east-potomac-park-washington-dc/
Nguyen, Alex. “Trump Plows Forward With Plan to Build the Golf Course of His Dreams in DC.” Mother Jones, 18 Oct. 2026, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/trump-golf-course-east-potomac-park-washington-dc/.
Nguyen, Alex. “Trump Plows Forward With Plan to Build the Golf Course of His Dreams in DC.” Mother Jones, October 18, 2026. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/trump-golf-course-east-potomac-park-washington-dc/.
Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.
On October 18, President Donald Trump announced plans to begin renovations at East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., starting November 15, despite ongoing legal challenges and a federal judge's order requiring prior notification for construction activities. The project aims to transform the historic public golf course into one capable of hosting major international tournaments like the US Open. Trump posted these plans on his social media platform Truth Social, asserting that the renovation would take about 15 months to complete. In response to criticism and legal action, Judge Ana C. Reyes recently halted tree removal activities at the site, calling it "inexcusable," while also scheduling a follow-up hearing for October 19 where senior officials from the Interior Department are set to testify. The DC Preservation League had previously filed a lawsuit in February alleging that the project would violate environmental laws and destroy historic landmarks.
The National Park Service started cutting down hundreds of trees at the course earlier this month, with government officials saying the removal was unrelated to Trump’s remodeling plans and instead in accordance with a 2019 Cultural Landscape Report to restore East Potomac Golf Links.
If Trump’s hasty and ill-conceived construction fills in too much of East Potomac Park, the chronic flooding will simply move elsewhere—perhaps to nearby parts of the National Mall, such as the Jefferson Memorial, where taxpayers just spent more than $100 million rebuilding the seawall.