President Donald Trump finally revealed his master plan Sunday behind one of his beautification projects in the nation’s capital, but in doing so, appeared to share an image that some critics said could cause him legal trouble.
Trump has long proposed overhauling the East Potomac Golf Links, a publicly owned golf course on federal parkland, starting work on the project in August. Last week, however, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes temporarily blocked the National Park Service from cutting down more trees at the site — and the Justice Department has since moved to have her removed from the case.
The matter was brought back into the spotlight Friday after Katie Zacharia, Trump’s former White House press secretary who lasted less than a week, shared a photo of herself with Trump in the Oval Office with a mysterious blurred-out map sitting on the desk. That map, critics alleged, appeared to show East Potomac Park, which some argued was evidence that the plan came directly from the president — contrary to the administration’s arguments in court.
In his announcement Sunday, Trump shared an image that bore a striking resemblance to the blurred-out map in question, along with new details on his plans to overhaul the East Potomac Golf Links: the development of a “World Class Championship Golf Course.”
“When completed, it will be open to the Public while, at the same time, designed to the Highest Level of Golf and able to hold World Class Tournaments such as the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup, and the Presidents Cup. This Course will create many Jobs, and have a tremendously positive Economic Development impact on Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Millions of Dollars will inure to the Capital area. The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall. When the East Potomac Course was originally built, it was famous for no trees, with views of Washington, D.C., for all to see, but now, it is completely overgrown, dysfunctional, and unsafe. Restoration work will begin on the Fazio Design on November 15th, when the old Course will be closed to play. The new Course will be opened in approximately 15 months.”