Why the Trump administration is fighting over a golf course

A golfer plays on the course at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, DC, on October 19, 2026. | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump is trying to take over a public park.  What’s happening? On Sunday, Trump announced in a social media post that East Potomac Golf Links, a municipal golf course on the Potomac River in Washington, DC, would close next month for what he described as “restoration work” to transform it from a three-course complex into a single professional-caliber course.  According to a rendering of the “restoration” shared by Trump, the new course would also eliminate a popular public park and multiuse road around the course, which is currently home to some of DC’s historic cherry trees.  Why does this matter? Relative to many other Trump decisions (like, say, the Iran war or interfering with Ukraine’s ability to defend itself), the fate of a golf course is not so high-stakes. But it’s shaping up to be a major legal fight over the administration’s blitzkrieg approach to Washington that saw the East Wing...