Crews begin clearing 169 trees at DC golf course Trump plans to convert to championship course

Interior Department crews started cutting down 169 trees at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington on Saturday, a step that sits inside a legal fight over President Donald Trump's plans for the public course. Trump, a keen golfer, has said he wants it rebuilt to championship standard, and the National Park Service estimates a preliminary cost between $20 and $49 million, with bidding to open in January 2027, according to CNN.

In a court filing, Park Service superintendent Kevin Griess maintained that the cutting is ordinary hazard control and would go forward regardless of any redesign. He pledged that healthy historic features, including cherry trees, would be spared. Court documents put the eventual total at as many as 529 trees. The 169 stand in the section known as "Trash Island," and 90 more are slated for removal later. Administration lawyers have already acknowledged that about 150 had been felled.

The DC Preservation League and two local golfers, who sued to block the project, have argued that the administration is slipping parts of its larger plan in as maintenance. U. S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who is hearing the case, noted residents' anger and said she had received threats.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →