The Memo: Trump plan for golf course becomes battle over court’s power

descriptions off, selected

captions settings, opens captions settings dialog

Subtitles (en), selected

This is a modal window.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

End of dialog window.

The Hill's Headlines | PM — October 19, 2026

The Hill's Headlines | PM — October 19, 2026

A battle over a Washington golf course has turned into a fiery showdown over the powers of the Trump administration to do as it wishes and the power of the courts to constrain it.

At issue is the East Potomac Golf Links, an unglamorous but busy municipal course roughly 2 miles from the White House.

Trump wants to redevelop the course into a sleeker, professional course capable of hosting top-level tournaments. 

But doing that, in his mind, requires the cutting down of hundreds of trees — which has already taken place, much to a judge’s fury. 

Plans posted by Trump on social media on Sunday appear to also call for the destruction of a roadway around the small peninsula that the golf course dominates. The roadway is particularly popular with cyclists and runners. Adjacent picnic areas draw Washingtonians especially in the summer months.

Even before Trump’s latest social media posts, conservation groups and individual golfers have sought to prevent Trump from moving ahead. 

The judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, has sought to pause major work on the course while the underlying case proceeds. 

Reyes plainly does not believe the administration had respected her orders. The administration seems, basically, of the opinion that it doesn’t have to.

A week ago, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on social media, “A federal judge has no jurisdiction........

© The Hill