Federal judge blocks Trump plan to close East Potomac Park

What happened

A federal judge, Ana Reyes, issued an order that East Potomac Park and its golf course must stay open and accessible to the public, stopping the Trump administration’s effort to shut the area for redevelopment. The decision keeps the roughly 100‑year‑old course available for everyday users and pauses plans to turn it into a venue for major professional tournaments Der Spiegel (German)Infobae (Spanish).

Critics including the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers condemned the project as a vanity exercise, linking it to other controversial initiatives such as a lavish White House ballroom and a proposed triumphal arch. Plaintiffs argued that closing the entire park would breach the public interest and cause irreparable harm to regular visitors Der Spiegel (German)Infobae (Spanish).

Reports differ on how long the judge’s order will last. The German outlet says the park must stay open for fifteen months and that the order expires on 28 November, while the Spanish source states the prohibition lasts only two weeks and ends on 26 October Der Spiegel (German)Infobae (Spanish).

The details

East Potomac Park sits on a peninsula in Washington, D.C., on an artificial island south of the National Mall and includes the East Potomac Golf Links Infobae (Spanish).

In October, Judge Reyes previously barred any further tree cutting on the golf links, a move that preceded the current litigation Der Spiegel (German).

President Donald Trump has argued that many trees on the course are damaged, pose a danger to visitors, and that the site suffers from serious irrigation problems and flood risk Der Spiegel (German).

An avid hobby golfer described the existing facility as a trash island, while Trump said the redevelopment will create a very beautiful course that will fill the judge with pride and pledged that Washington residents would bear only half of the project’s costs Der Spiegel (German).

The lawsuit contends that the government failed to properly assess the environmental and historic‑preservation impacts of the proposed redevelopment Infobae (Spanish).

Judge Reyes noted that she sees no safety concerns with keeping the park open Der Spiegel (German).

Trump personally visited the East Potomac site, a few kilometres from the White House, to review the redevelopment plans Der Spiegel (German).

Litigation over the project began in January 2026 after tree cutting started on the golf course Infobae (Spanish).

Donald Trump, aged 80, is an avid golfer, and golf remains a highly popular sport across the United States Der Spiegel (German).

The government had initially proposed to close the historic East Potomac Park indefinitely as part of the redevelopment scheme Infobae (Spanish).

Who is reporting what

Der Spiegel (German) emphasized that the judge’s order keeps the park open for fifteen months and that the prohibition runs until 28 November. Infobae (Spanish) highlighted a much shorter timeframe, saying the order lasts two weeks and ends on 26 October Der Spiegel (German)Infobae (Spanish).

Context and impact

East Potomac Park is a long‑standing public recreation area in the nation’s capital. Keeping it open maintains community access to green space and preserves historic landscape features while the proposed transformation into a major tournament venue faces legal and environmental scrutiny.

What we do not know yet

The exact length of time the park must remain open and the precise expiry date of the judge’s order remain uncertain because the two reports give conflicting timelines. Additionally, the year of the October tree‑cutting prohibition has not been specified in the sources.