US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced plans to close the historic East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, DC, for 15 months to carry out a major renovation.
The announcement comes as his plans to redevelop the public golf course face an ongoing legal challenge, according to The Associated Press.
Trump said the golf course, located not far from the White House, would close from November 15.
He wants to transform it into what he described as one of the “Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World,” according to his social media post.
The president’s argument for closing the course follows a similar approach to his justification for changes at the Kennedy Center, where he has also cited the need to address the facility’s condition, AP reported. The planned closure comes despite a court order that has temporarily stopped the redevelopment work. Trump also claimed that the golf course had dangerous and falling trees affected by disease. US District Judge Ana Reyes has ordered key members of the Trump administration to testify about the recent tree-cutting work. The court is also examining whether the removal of the trees was connected to the president’s broader redevelopment plans for the historic public golf course.
A judge last week halted the plans until at least October 26 after criticising the government for beginning large-scale tree removal at the course over a holiday weekend without giving enough notice to the court or the people challenging the project, AP reported.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said the organisation’s legal case aims to protect the golf course for the local community. She said the group would continue working with the plaintiffs to challenge what it described as unlawful and harmful interference with the public space. He said the seawall surrounding the facility was collapsing and posed a safety risk.
The judge is expected to consider the administration’s request to have her removed during the upcoming hearing. The decision could affect how the legal challenge over the golf course redevelopment proceeds. Meanwhile, the plaintiffs asked the judge over the weekend to issue a longer-lasting preliminary injunction or a stay.
It questioned her impartiality and accused her of what it called “egregious” behaviour during an emergency hearing on October 12, according to AP. These legal measures would seek to maintain restrictions on the redevelopment while the case continues, according to AP. The administration asked on Friday for Judge Reyes to be removed from the case.
