WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump announced on Sunday its intention to close a historic public golf course in the nation’s capital for 15 months and redevelop it despite work in progress legal challenge to its much sought-after renovation.
Trump posted on social media his intention to close the East Potomac Golf Course, not far from the White House, starting November 15, to make it “one of the best and most spectacular golf courses in the world.”
However, last week a judge ordered a halt to his redevelopment plans until at least October 26, after scold the government to start a large-scale felling of trees class over a holiday weekend while giving little notice to the court or plaintiffs trying to stop the makeover.
Trump did not acknowledge the legal fight in his message, which included an artist’s rendering of the course redesign.
“When completed, it will be open to the public while being designed for the highest level of golf and capable of hosting world-class tournaments such as the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup,” Trump wrote.
Democracy Forward, which represents plaintiffs challenging its renovation plans, responded by saying the course is part of a national park and recreational facility that everyone can enjoy.
“Our litigation aims to protect this community gem for the people and communities it serves and we will continue to work with our plaintiffs to defend it against illegal and harmful intrusion,” Skye Perryman, the group’s president and CEO, said Sunday.
The capital’s transformation extends well beyond the fairways
Trump, an avid golfer who plays often, had previously announced plans to renovate the links as part of his broader push to renovate and redesign places around Washingtonincluding the White House and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Many of his projects, including a huge ballroom at the White House, putting his own name on the Kennedy Center and construction of a massive archwere challenged in court.
The 106-year-old park and course have been the subject of numerous emergency hearings as the president sought to renovate them. Although it is open to Washingtonians of all income levels, opponents of Trump’s plan to make it an upscale course have argued that it would change the character of the space and make it less affordable for people.
In his message, Trump echoed arguments he has made to justify his plan to remake the Kennedy Center, saying it is in such dangerous condition that it must close.
“The current course is old, broken, dilapidated and of no further use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous and disease-infested trees and, most importantly, a collapsed and dangerous sea wall,” Trump wrote.
Debris of the demolition of the East Wing of the White House to make way for his ballroom project was also abandoned on the land. THE National Park Service said the debris tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals.
Trump also sought to justify the National Park Service’s removal of hundreds of trees that the judge suspended, writing in his announcement that when the gold course was originally built, “it was famous for its treeless, with a view of Washington, D.C., for all to see, but now it is completely overgrown, dysfunctional and dangerous.”
Case returns to court and administration seeks to remove judge
Trump’s message outlining a clear plan for construction complicates a federal court hearing scheduled for Monday in a lawsuit filed by the D.C. Preservation League and two golfers opposed to the construction.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered key members of the Republican administration to testify about the recent tree cutting and whether those actions are related to the president’s plans for historic public ties.
The administration on Friday requested Reyes’ replacement in the case, questioning his impartiality and citing what it called “egregious” behavior by the court in response to an emergency hearing on Oct. 12. Her frustration boiled over during a three-hour hearing when she blasted the government’s lawyer for the lack of notice she and the plaintiffs received before the trees were cut down.
At the next hearing, the judge is expected to respond to the resignation request. Meanwhile, over the weekend, the plaintiffs requested that she grant them a longer preliminary injunction in the case and/or a stay.
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Associated Press writer Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.
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