Judge clashes with Trump team over golf course renovation plan and Truth Social posts

A federal judge clashed with the Trump administration in court on Monday over the redevelopment of a historic golf course in Washington, casting doubt on claims that a recent round of tree clearing was unconnected to the project currently stalled by a judicial order.

"There is no universe in which all of this coincidentally happened all at the same time," U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said during a court hearing examining the project, which has become the latest legal dispute over President Donald Trump's efforts to alter the capital's landscape.

Reyes issued an injunction last week pausing redevelopment work until at least Oct. 26. She admonished government officials for carrying out extensive tree removals across a holiday weekend with minimal notice provided to either the court or the litigants attempting to halt the transformation.

Despite an ongoing lawsuit brought by the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers, Trump said on social media Sunday that the 106-year-old course and park would shut down for 15 months beginning Nov. 15 for redevelopment. In a follow-up post on Monday, Trump said the work would start immediately.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs asked Reyes to prolong the temporary pause, contending that ongoing actions cause permanent harm and that the project breaches the congressional statute establishing the park.

Friction between the bench and the administration has intensified, with Reyes declining a request from government attorneys to step down from the case just prior to Monday's proceedings. The Justice Department had challenged her impartiality, characterizing her conduct during an emergency hearing last week as "egregious".

In his Monday online statement, Trump, a Republican, referred to Reyes as a "crazed lunatic".

"The United States Department of Interior wants to take a terrible and very unsafe golf course, and make it into a great, safe, and prestigious golf course. They have an absolute right to do so. It’s as simple as that!" Trump wrote.

Reyes, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, stated that the government fell short "by any objective measure" of demonstrating grounds for her disqualification.

"It is easy to weaponize selective quotations to bring a baseless recusal motion. But it is much harder to meet the demanding legal standard against a full record," she noted in her ruling.

Trump has promised to convert the venue into a premier golfing destination, part of a broader push in Washington, D.C., where he has previously removed historical sites, altered landmarks, and maintained a National Guard presence for over a year.

Critics of the redevelopment maintain that the changes will erode the open space's character and limit access for Washington residents across different income levels, though it has historically served a broad public.

Proceedings on Monday began with a stern exchange between Reyes and Justice Department lawyer Stanley Woodward. The judge inquired whether any government counsel present would certify, under federal civil procedure rules as officers of the court, that statements in a Sunday filing were accurate and legally sound.

In that submission, Woodward insisted that no finalized redevelopment plan exists, writing: "First, the plan is not final because the Park Service has not completed its review and the details of the proposal are subject to change during the review process,"

Much of the session focused on Trump’s recent online declarations, a site visit he conducted last June alongside course architects and administration officials, and the rationale behind the sudden tree removal.

Testifying at the hearing, Interior Department deputy chief of staff Greg Wischer and acting National Park Service director Jessica Bowron both stated they only became aware in September of a 2019 NPS Cultural Landscape Report that ultimately prompted the clearing of trees.