Trump Calls DC Course ‘Trash Island,’ Promises Locals 50% Off as a Judge Weighs Blocking Sunday’s Closure
President Donald Trump took a parting shot Saturday at the public golf course he wants to rebuild in Washington, calling it “Trash Island” and promising area residents half off once it reopens, as a federal judge weighs whether to stop the course from closing Sunday.
“Very importantly, also, is that anyone living in the Washington D.C. area will be given a 50% discount on any and all Rates charged,” Trump said, the Washington Examiner reported.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called East Potomac Golf Links the “worst” golf course in the world, “but the Department of the Interior is going to make it into the Best Golf Course anywhere in the World,” Fox News reported. He also called the course’s conditions “very dangerous” and posted photos.
“The Fairways are far too close together. When you walk down the corridors of Trash Island, you don’t hear the sound of the running Potomac, all you hear is the sound of people screaming, ‘FORE!’” Trump wrote.
He took aim at U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who is hearing a challenge to the project. “Unfortunately, Judge Ana Reyes doesn’t want us to quickly and inexpensively fix up the Course,” Trump wrote, according to Fox News.
Trump added that he hoped “the Judge will agree that the Dignity, Beauty, and Importance of Washington, D.C., will be greatly enhanced,” and that the course “will evolve into something very special, something which the Judge will be able to take great pride in seeing!”
A ruling due by midnight
The National Park Service announced this week that it would close East Potomac Park south of Buckeye Drive, including the golf course, Ohio Drive and Hains Point, DC News Now reported. The course operator, National Links Trust, is expected to stop operating when its lease ends Sunday, Nov. 15.
Reyes heard arguments Friday on a request to keep the park and course open and said she would decide by 11:59 p.m. Saturday, according to DC News Now. She could issue a temporary restraining order requiring that the course and park stay open in some form.
The judge questioned why the government needed to close the whole park rather than just the course, DC News Now reported. Government lawyers cited the deteriorating seawall, which officials estimated in court would cost $305 million and take about three years to fix.
Reyes said she worried that if the park closes completely, it might never reopen, the outlet reported. She has already ordered a formal inquiry into whether government lawyers misrepresented facts in the case, as Conservative Daily News reported.
Championship plans
Trump has said the course will be redesigned by architect Tom Fazio and could host the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, Fox News reported. In October he said the renovation would start Nov. 15 and take about 15 months, NBC News reported.
East Potomac hosts upward of 80,000 rounds a year, with fees that top out at $48, GOLF.com reported. The administration’s plan does not say what golfers would pay after the renovation, and critics have asked whether a grand renovation would make the course unaffordable for some locals.
Trump did not say Saturday what the full rates would be after the renovation.
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