On December 30, the Trump administration, via the United States Department of the Interior, took federal control over Washington D.C.’s three municipal golf courses by terminating the National Links Trust’s (NLT) lease with the National Park Service, which allowed the former to “manage, operate and renovate” the golf courses. The latter owned the land.
The Trump administration, without providing evidence, claimed that the NLT was in default of the lease; the nonprofit was only five years into its fifty-year lease.
As the NLT is a nonprofit which seeks to “make golf accessible to the public,” widespread access to golf in Washington D.C. may be diminished. However, the courses will remain as of the time of this writing. However, the termination of the lease has sown chaos into the functionality of the golf courses, with long-term renovation projects ceasing.
Earlier this month, on December 12, Trump, who golfs more than any other President, announced his intention to redo the golf courses, which include Rock Creek, East Potomac, and Langston.
Trump had wanted control over East Potomac, known for its beauty, at least since the spring of 2025. His frequent flights to Joint Base Andrews would take him over that golf course. He started asking questions about it as he consistently saw it from the air. In spring, he would mislead the NLT with the suggestion that the White House would help with “fund-raising and expediting the permitting process.” In August, Trump wanted to rebrand the golf course to the Washington National Golf Course, and have his family-owned golf operation control it. The final nail in the coffin came when the White House threatened the NLT with a notice of default if it did not host the debris from the White House’s East Wing, which was in the process of being destroyed by Trump. In a last ditch attempt to appease Trump, the NLT accepted, but to no avail.
