Trump says East Potomac closes Nov. 15 as DOJ appeals the course injunction

East Potomac Golf Links is still open, but the fight over its future moved fast after Monday's ruling. Late that night President Trump posted on Truth Social that the public course in Washington will close "as scheduled on November 15th" and that the government would appeal. By Tuesday the Justice Department had filed a notice of appeal to the D.C. Circuit, according to WTOP and the Washington Post.

The post came about three and a half hours after U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the preliminary injunction we covered Monday. WUSA9 reports the court time-stamped it at 11:37 p.m. In it, Trump called the notice requirement in her order "unconstitutional" and said the project "must begin, immediately." He said the rebuilt course would stay open to the public, with a reduced rate for D.C. residents, and could host the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup.

The judge's response

Reyes answered on Tuesday afternoon. Her order quoted Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who told her at the October 19 hearing, "With regard to the November 15th date ... there is no plan to close the course." She told the government to say "whether any plan exists to close East Potomac Golf Course on or around November 15, 2026," and, if one does, how that squares with what Woodward said. She also ordered Woodward, the Justice Department's third-ranking official, to appear in person at a status hearing on Friday or Monday, WUSA9 and ABC News report.

Trump's post describes the order as a request for notification. It also bars the Interior Department, the National Park Service and their contractors from cutting or damaging any tree in East Potomac Park without a court order. It also requires at least 10 business days' written notice before any closure of the course. WUSA9 counts back from November 15 and lands on roughly this Friday as the latest date that notice could arrive. None had been filed as of Tuesday morning.

In her 70-page opinion, Reyes wrote: "Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting President." The DC Preservation League and two golfers who play the course filed the suit in February. WUSA9 reports roughly 300 more trees were slated for removal under the plan she halted.

What to watch

If you play East Potomac, the course is open for now. Watch the docket for a closure notice by the end of this week, for the Woodward status hearing on Friday or Monday, and for any request to the D.C. Circuit to pause the injunction while the appeal runs.