Judge halts tree removal at Washington golf course Trump eyes for expansion

US district judge Ana Reyes on Monday ordered a 24-hour halt to tree cutting at the historic East Potomac golf course while she decides on an emergency order from plaintiffs concerned that Donald Trump’s plans for the course are moving forward despite a pending court case challenging them.

“Tree removal for routine maintenance is not exempt from this order,” Reyes’ wrote. “Plaintiffs are likely to suffer immediate and irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief.

“The removal of hundreds of trees from East Potomac golf course is permanent.”

Reyes’ ruling came after a National Park Service (NPS) statement three days earlier that it was cutting 500 trees “that do not contribute to the historic landscape” at the course.

Golfers pass workers as the National Park Service begins cutting down trees at East Potomac Golf Links on Saturday in Washington DC. Photograph: Nathan Howard/AP

The judge’s order lays out questions she wants answered by Kevin Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, including the timeline for the removal and who ordered the work.

The removal of 169 trees was scheduled to begin on Saturday – with another 90 trees slated for the same fate later, according to the NPS.

The tree removals come as Trump has moved to turn the course into a world-class golf venue – part of his grand vision for Washington DC, where he has torn down storied structures, remade or renamed others, and deployed the national guard since the beginning of his second presidency in early 2025.

Some residents fear the planned changes to the golf course – where Trump has visited with a cabinet member, a well-known golf course architect and blueprints – risk altering the character of a place that has served Washingtonians of all income levels for more than a century. Those residents maintain that turning the park into an upscale golf course will certainly mean costlier fees and a likely loss of public space.