Trump administration sued after taking on DC public golf programs
A pair of golf enthusiasts have sued the Trump administration over a plan to overhaul a public golf course in Washington D.C. to make way for a new “world-class” green, championed by the president.
Dave Roberts and Alex Dickson, who are bringing the lawsuit, say the Interior Department has overlooked important health reviews when moving forward with the project that would see East Potomac Golf Links remade, The Washington Post reports.
Trump, who is an avid golfer, has begun moves to take control of Potomac Golf Links and other public courses, arguing that they are in need of significant refurbishment.
“We’re going to make it a beautiful world-class U.S. Open-caliber course,” the president told reporters in January. “Ideally, we’re going to have major tournaments there and everything else. It’s going to bring a lot of business into Washington.”
Last year, the Interior Department terminated the lease of the National Links Trust which managed the Potomac Golf Links site and two other courses, clearing the way for the spaces to be taken under federal control.
Roberts and Dickson’s suit echoes concerns that should the courses fall under the control of Trump and his allies, the course will become much less accessible. Though specific plans have not yet been revealed Trump has suggested he would totally rebuild the course, which has views of the Washington Monument.
“East Potomac Golf Links is a testament to what’s possible with public land and why public spaces matter,” Roberts said in a statement shared with The Post. “It deserves better than becoming a dumping ground for waste and yet another private playground for the privileged and power.”
The lawsuit aims to halt any reassignment of the course’s lease before a full review, citing potential violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
It also alleges a violation of a congressional act that called for the park on which the course is built to be “forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people.”
The DC Preservation League, a nonprofit that advocates for protecting historic sites, has also attached itself to the suit, The Post reports.
The Independent has contacted the Interior Department for comment about the lawsuit brought by the golfers.
Trump already owns golf clubs around the country and the world, with courses in Florida, New Jersey and Scotland and has made extensive use of them since returning to office in January last year.
The website didtrumpgolftoday.com was launched in order to track the number of days the president has spent on the course, noting that by July 2025, Trump had spent around a third of his time back in office playing golf.
As of Saturday, according to the site Trump has golfed 93 days out of 392 days since returning to office, calculated to be around 24 percent of his time. It has also cost the taxpayer an estimated $130,200,000.
While the president has been said to play quite well, there have long been allegations that he receives some assistance, with some even going so far as outright accusing him of cheating.
Source: independent.co.uk
