Trump's Truth Social announcement

Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday that restoration work will begin on 15 November at East Potomac, a historic public golf course in Washington DC, with the course reopening in about 15 months. The Truth Social announcement went up despite a federal judge's order pausing his plans.

Trump said the facility would become "one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World" and posted an artist's rendering of the redesign, making no mention of the legal fight.

Judge's orders and the government's position

US district judge Ana Reyes ruled earlier in 2026 that the federal government must give notice before any substantive construction work on the course. Last week she issued an order halting the removal of trees at the site, which she called "inexcusable".

Reyes took notice of Trump's post and ordered the government to notify her by 8pm ET on Sunday whether its position had changed. On the Friday before, the administration told the court that:

• •Trump had given "at most" preliminary thought to the rebuilding plan
• •there is no final agency action on the project

The fight over the course

The DC Preservation League sued in February 2026 to halt the administration's takeover of the course, alleging violations of environmental laws and saying the project would irreparably destroy a priceless piece of American history. In a 9 October filing the administration asked Reyes to dismiss the litigation as premature, saying the proposed project remains at an early and conceptual stage.

The next day the government removed about 500 trees from the site, saying this improved safety and restored the park's original design under a 2019 plan predating Trump's ambitions. Reyes then ordered a halt, told key members of the administration to testify on the recent tree-cutting and whether it was tied to Trump's plans, and on Friday the government filed a motion to disqualify her, alleging her actions showed deep-seated and unequivocal antipathy and open hostility toward the administration. The plaintiffs oppose that motion.

The 106-year-old park and golf course has drawn repeated emergency hearings over the renovation. Opponents argue the plan to turn the public course into a high-end one would alter the character of the space and make it less affordable. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, said in a statement that the litigation aims to keep the course safe for the people and communities that use it, and that her group will keep defending it against what she described as unlawful and harmful intrusion.

A White House project under court challenge

The renovation is one of several Washington projects by Trump that face court challenges, alongside plans for a huge ballroom at the White House, his name on the Kennedy Center and a large arch. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump's announcement would conflict with Reyes's directives.