Trump Says the Renovation Would Close a D.C. Park for 15 Months
Trump's stated wish to take over the East Potomac Golf Links thrust a municipal D.C. golf course into the national spotlight. Locals rely on the area for much more than golf and worry the district could lose a recreational oasis.
On Truth Social, Trump said renovations would keep the entire park closed for 15 months starting in November. It is not clear what would be left when it reopens: the rendering he posted shows an 18-hole course spanning the entire peninsula, including the current playground and picnic area on its southern tip, with no road visible around the perimeter.
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Race organizers are already looking into backup options for next year given the rumored renovations, event director Rob Wolfe told NPR. Wolfe also said the park's future matters more than the race's Sunday in April or the Marine Corps Marathon's Sunday in October. That is a gracious thing for an event director to say when his own race is the thing at risk.
The trees are the harder fact to swallow: the government downed hundreds of them on the course with little warning earlier this month, and critics worry it was a pretext for starting the renovations. The government says it was following up on recommendations from a 2019 landscaping report. A report explains the reason for cutting; it does not make the timing feel less odd.