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WASHINGTON — He’s dead serious.
President Trump upped the ante late Wednesday in his feud with a federal judge who is hamstringing his prized renovation plans for the East Potomac Golf Links, vowing to hold her “fully responsible” for deaths on the complex.
Trump claimed in a lengthy Truth Social tirade that the 36-hole course, located about two miles from the White House on a man-made peninsula in the Potomac River, is “highly dangerous, dilapidated, and absolutely disgusting.”
“We will hold the judge, Ana C. Reyes, fully responsible for anybody who is hurt, or killed, on this very dangerous, dilapidated, and unsightly Golf Course,” the president continued.
“The gaping holes in the driving range’s ‘protective’ netting are highly hazardous,” Trump explained. “Golf balls soar through the holes at high speed and hit unexpecting Golfers—including a White House staffer who was, sadly, hit violently in the chest.”
“The driving range building itself is falling apart, and its structural stability is terrible,” he added. “It should be closed immediately for safety reasons! The exposed nails and disintegrating wood also endanger young Golfers.”
“Not a good situation!”
Trump has been endeavoring to completely overhaul the East Potomac complex, transforming it into an 18-hole championship-style course.
On Oct. 18, Trump rolled out a new design from noted golf course architect Tom Fazio and announced plans to close East Potomac for 15 months of renovations starting Nov. 15.
But the effort has faced resistance from locals and drawn a legal challenge from the DC Preservation League, among other plaintiffs, who have warned that Trump’s plans would eliminate biking and running trails on the property.
US District Judge Ana Reyes, a Joe Biden appointee, has restricted the administration from taking down trees or making any “irreparable modification” to the course — drawing the president’s wrath.
“The driving range should provide Golfers with stunning views of the Washington Monument, not of a barren, debris-ridden wasteland,” he added. “The driving range should NOT be a threat to life and limb. The current condition of the golf course is a National Disgrace.”
Reyes ordered the Trump administration in May to provide notice of plans to cut down more than 10 trees.
The fight was reignited on Oct. 9, when the White House notified the court of plans to cut “up to 529 trees,” filing the document just before the close of business on the Friday before Columbus Day weekend.
The administration then quickly cut down hundreds of trees.
Reyes ordered an emergency hearing and then expanded her restriction on construction work, extending her block again following a hearing this past Monday.
