President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the federal government plans to rebuild East Potomac Golf Links, a century-old public golf course along the Potomac River near the National Mall, into what he called a “world class” venue capable of hosting major championship tournaments.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the Department of the Interior, under Secretary Doug Burgum, is working with golf course architect Tom Fazio on the redesign. He said the finished course would remain open to the public while being built to professional tournament standards.
“When completed, it will be open to the Public while, at the same time, designed to the Highest Level of Golf,” Trump wrote.
Trump said the rebuilt course could eventually host the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, and that the U.S. Golf Association, PGA of America and PGA Tour have already been informed of the plans. He said the project would bring jobs and economic benefits to Washington and the surrounding region.
According to Trump’s post, the existing course is set to close on Nov. 15, when restoration work would begin. He said the new course could open roughly 15 months after that.
Trump criticized the current condition of the course, describing it as “old, broken, dilapidated,” and cited dangerous and diseased trees along with a deteriorating seawall as reasons for the overhaul. East Potomac Golf Links sits on federally owned land in East Potomac Park and has operated as a public course in the city for more than 100 years.
A Pending Court Case
Trump’s announcement did not mention an active legal dispute over the project. Hours after his Truth Social post, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes took judicial notice of it and ordered the government to state by 8 p.m. Sunday whether it still stood by a position it had taken in court just two days earlier — that “there is no final agency action” on the project and that, at most, Trump had given the idea only “preliminary thought.”
Reyes also directed two government attorneys involved in the case to appear in person at an evidentiary hearing Monday morning.
The legal fight has centered partly on tree removal at the site. Reyes recently issued a temporary order halting further tree cutting while a legal challenge over the work proceeds.
Trump said the redesigned course would restore views of Washington and, in his words, become “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World.”
