By Sohaib Shams
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Tuesday ordered Justice Department lawyers to clarify whether President Donald Trump’s social media posts about the closure and renovation of East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C., can be taken literally. The order requires the department to state whether any plan exists to close the historic course on or around November 15, 2026.
Judge Demands Clarity on Presidential Statements
Reyes directed Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. to appear in court for a status hearing on Friday or Monday. The judge’s order responded to a Trump social media post late Monday criticizing her temporary injunction halting work at East Potomac Park, which she issued after Trump announced that construction would begin next month and the facility would be closed for 15 months.
Unprecedented Position for Justice Department
Reyes wrote that rarely, if ever, has the Justice Department urged a federal court not to believe the sitting president. She listed several Trump claims the department now disputes, including that a cabinet secretary had developed the project, that the agency would destroy the historic course, and that restoration work would begin immediately.
Lawsuit Alleges Irreversible Damage
The D.C. Preservation League and two golfers are challenging the project, arguing the work is causing irreversible damage and will make the course unaffordable for the public. At a previous hearing, the judge criticized the government after workers cut down at least 400 trees over a holiday weekend with little notice to plaintiffs.
Broader Campaign to Reshape Washington Landscape
The renovation is part of Trump’s broader effort to leave his personal imprint on Washington’s historic landscape, which includes plans for a large White House ballroom, a massive arch, and a National Garden of American Heroes in West Potomac Park. Multiple lawsuits have been filed challenging those plans, and judges have issued injunctions or restraining orders in several cases.
