News Article
Published
Oct 20, 2026 at 03:08 AM EDT
President Donald Trump has shared images of debris and damaged structures at a historic golf course in Washington D.C., branding it "trash island" amid a bitter legal dispute over its future.
On Sunday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum unveiled design plans for a bold redevelopment of the East Potomac Golf Links, but the future of the space is still up for debate. The administration's plans have drawn legal challenges over concerns the government has not used federal review and approval processes.
On Monday morning, Judge Ana C. Reyes chaired a hearing in which she called for senior Department of the Interior (DOI) officials to testify after hundreds of trees were cut down a week ago with little notice.
Reyes pushed back on the government's testimony that the recent tree felling in the park and plans for the new golf course were not connected. "There is no universe in which all of this coincidentally happened all at the same time," Reyes said.
As proceedings in court continue, Trump hit back on Truth Social, sharing a series of pictures of the East Potomac park, including dead trees, broken fences and flooded paths.
"Here are pictures of Trash Island for the judge to study. This is just a small area, and better than some!" Trump said in a post alongside a series of pictures.
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This is a developing story. More to follow.