Judge Seeks Clarification After Trump Post and DOJ Statement Appear Out of Sync on East Potomac Golf Course
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A federal judge asked President Donald J. Trump's legal team to clarify whether the East Potomac Golf Course is set to close, after a Truth Social post appeared to differ from statements made by the Department of Justice.
A federal judge in Washington has issued a show-cause order to the legal team representing President Donald J. Trump, asking for clarification on whether a plan exists to close the East Potomac Golf Course on or around November 15, 2026. The order references a Truth Social post by the president announcing a scheduled closure for renovation, while testimony from Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward on October 19 stated that no such plan had been established, creating a question the court now wants answered clearly and promptly.
"The Court takes judicial notice of President Donald J. Trump's Truth Social post at 11:37 p.m. on October 26, 2026, stating, 'We are closing the East Potomac Golf Course Site as scheduled on November 15th in order to renovate and rebuild for Competitive (with other such projects!), Safety, Modernization, and Aesthetic reasons.' Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward told the Court on October 19 that '[w]ith regard to the November 15th date... there is no plan to close the course.' The Court orders Defendants to clarify, as part of their response to the Court's show-cause order from October 26, whether any plan exists to close East Potomac Golf Course on or around November 15, 2026, and, if so, how that can be reconciled with Associate AG Woodward's representation to the Court."
The dispute follows a temporary injunction that barred the Trump administration from further alterations to the East Potomac Park golf course while the litigation proceeds. Government officials have maintained that recent tree-cutting activities on the site were unrelated to any renovation plan, despite the president's social-media announcements.
Legal analysts say the judge's order is intended to clear up the apparent inconsistency between the administration's public statements and its legal position, emphasizing the importance of consistent testimony in ongoing court proceedings.