The government says it will close a beloved D.C. park Sunday. Will a judge step in?

The National Park Service wants to close most of East Potomac Park, far more than just the golf course. The perimeter loop is beloved by runners and cyclists. National Park Service hide caption

Federal judge Ana Reyes grilled the government on Friday about its plans for East Potomac Park, and indicated she could order it to remain open despite President Trump's renovation wishes.

SCOTT DETROW, HOST: Washington, D.C.'s most beloved parks could close indefinitely on Sunday unless a judge decides to intervene. East Potomac Park is home to the municipal golf course that President Trump wants to redevelop into what he calls a championship-level venue. But at a hearing today, administration lawyers argue that repairs are needed not only to the golf course but to the entire recreational area around it. NPR's Rachel Treisman watched the hearing and joins us now. Hey, Rachel. RACHEL TREISMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Scott. DETROW: Did the judge indicate how she'll rule? TREISMAN: District Judge Ana Reyes sounded like she is likely to take action, but she seemed to be grappling with what exactly she can tell the government to do. The government is arguing it needs to close almost the entire park on Sunday for two main reasons. That's the day the lease expires with the golf course's current operator and because it wants to repair the park's seawall, which has been deteriorating for years. Reyes didn't really seem persuaded by that. The government chose to end its operator lease on November 15, which is the day President Trump has said the park would close. And the government acknowledged it doesn't yet have a plan to repair the seawall or a contract to redevelop the golf course. Reyes suggested she'd rule on Saturday. We'll have to see whether she orders the park to stay open or goes even further and tells the government to keep the golf course open, too. DETROW: You've been listening to this since 10 in the morning. What are some of the main sticking points from today? TREISMAN: Yeah. There was a lot of discussion about how Trump's proposed redesign would change a space that so many people here in D.C. just love. Critics say the scale of the course would make it less accessible for beginners, and it would eliminate the perimeter loop that joggers use every day and also for big races, like the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I spoke to event director Rob Wolfe, who is still hoping the race can take place in April. ROB WOLFE: It's really important that people understand that if this roadway goes away, hundreds - thousands of people on a daily basis will lose out. TREISMAN: The government has recently started arguing that the park needs to be closed because the seawall poses a safety issue. At one point, the lawyer mentioned a risk of unattended children falling into the Potomac River at night. The judge seemed pretty incredulous. She kept asking why those concerns hadn't been addressed sooner and whether the whole park really needs to be closed for that. DETROW: How final are these golf course plans? I mean, all of this seems so up in the air. TREISMAN: Totally. The government has already submitted this proposal to two different federal commissions, but it still needs to go through environmental reviews and get public input. Reyes has really pressed the government's lawyer on whether it's too late for them to change course, especially given how much people here are opposed to the plan. Reyes says she's gotten death threats over the case. There have been protests by cyclists and birders. At one point, Reyes asked people in the courtroom how many of them were there because they care about East Potomac Park and almost all of them raise their hands. DETROW: And I think that gets to a bigger storyline here. You know, one reason the case has gotten so much attention is because of the tension between the judge and the government and because of the pointed rulings that the judge has made saying you're not cooperating. Tell us about that. TREISMAN: Yeah. Reyes has been very vocal about feeling misled by this administration - by officials, by its lawyers. Two weeks ago at the last hearing, she announced she'd open an investigation into potential attorney misconduct, and that there's a long history there with the administration cutting down hundreds of trees in October after telling her they wouldn't, administration officials telling her that there was no final plan to close the course, despite the president saying so online. Reyes has chosen a first-term Trump administration lawyer to lead that probe, but today, the government opposed that, which means Reyes will probably lead that investigation herself. DETROW: The golf course is, you know, as you've been covering, one of several of these projects that are playing out in court right now. You've got the proposed arch. You've got the Kennedy Center he wants to make the Trump Kennedy Center. What are other possible checks on these projects? TREISMAN: Well, Democrats have said they hope to use their incoming congressional majority to push back. That could be blocking funding or holding oversight hearings. Judge Reyes actually opened today's hearing by referencing some recent CNN reporting saying the interior department has destroyed documents related to Trump's construction projects, which it denies. Now, Reyes has asked the government's lawyer if he'd heard anything about that. He said, no, and she said if she finds out otherwise, there will be consequences in a zeptosecond. That, she said, is the shortest measurement of time ever recorded in a lab. DETROW: NPR's Rachel Treisman. Thanks so much. TREISMAN: Thank you, Scott. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of transcripts for NPR programming may vary. Transcript text may also be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Please note that NPR platforms and products also include some programming produced by third parties; NPR cannot guarantee transcripts for that content and some transcripts may be produced using automated or other tools.

SCOTT DETROW, HOST: Washington, D.C.'s most beloved parks could close indefinitely on Sunday unless a judge decides to intervene. East Potomac Park is home to the municipal golf course that President Trump wants to redevelop into what he calls a championship-level venue. But at a hearing today, administration lawyers argue that repairs are needed not only to the golf course but to the entire recreational area around it. NPR's Rachel Treisman watched the hearing and joins us now. Hey, Rachel. RACHEL TREISMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Scott. DETROW: Did the judge indicate how she'll rule? TREISMAN: District Judge Ana Reyes sounded like she is likely to take action, but she seemed to be grappling with what exactly she can tell the government to do. The government is arguing it needs to close almost the entire park on Sunday for two main reasons. That's the day the lease expires with the golf course's current operator and because it wants to repair the park's seawall, which has been deteriorating for years. Reyes didn't really seem persuaded by that. The government chose to end its operator lease on November 15, which is the day President Trump has said the park would close. And the government acknowledged it doesn't yet have a plan to repair the seawall or a contract to redevelop the golf course. Reyes suggested she'd rule on Saturday. We'll have to see whether she orders the park to stay open or goes even further and tells the government to keep the golf course open, too. DETROW: You've been listening to this since 10 in the morning. What are some of the main sticking points from today? TREISMAN: Yeah. There was a lot of discussion about how Trump's proposed redesign would change a space that so many people here in D.C. just love. Critics say the scale of the course would make it less accessible for beginners, and it would eliminate the perimeter loop that joggers use every day and also for big races, like the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I spoke to event director Rob Wolfe, who is still hoping the race can take place in April. ROB WOLFE: It's really important that people understand that if this roadway goes away, hundreds - thousands of people on a daily basis will lose out. TREISMAN: The government has recently started arguing that the park needs to be closed because the seawall poses a safety issue. At one point, the lawyer mentioned a risk of unattended children falling into the Potomac River at night. The judge seemed pretty incredulous. She kept asking why those concerns hadn't been addressed sooner and whether the whole park really needs to be closed for that. DETROW: How final are these golf course plans? I mean, all of this seems so up in the air. TREISMAN: Totally. The government has already submitted this proposal to two different federal commissions, but it still needs to go through environmental reviews and get public input. Reyes has really pressed the government's lawyer on whether it's too late for them to change course, especially given how much people here are opposed to the plan. Reyes says she's gotten death threats over the case. There have been protests by cyclists and birders. At one point, Reyes asked people in the courtroom how many of them were there because they care about East Potomac Park and almost all of them raise their hands. DETROW: And I think that gets to a bigger storyline here. You know, one reason the case has gotten so much attention is because of the tension between the judge and the government and because of the pointed rulings that the judge has made saying you're not cooperating. Tell us about that. TREISMAN: Yeah. Reyes has been very vocal about feeling misled by this administration - by officials, by its lawyers. Two weeks ago at the last hearing, she announced she'd open an investigation into potential attorney misconduct, and that there's a long history there with the administration cutting down hundreds of trees in October after telling her they wouldn't, administration officials telling her that there was no final plan to close the course, despite the president saying so online. Reyes has chosen a first-term Trump administration lawyer to lead that probe, but today, the government opposed that, which means Reyes will probably lead that investigation herself. DETROW: The golf course is, you know, as you've been covering, one of several of these projects that are playing out in court right now. You've got the proposed arch. You've got the Kennedy Center he wants to make the Trump Kennedy Center. What are other possible checks on these projects? TREISMAN: Well, Democrats have said they hope to use their incoming congressional majority to push back. That could be blocking funding or holding oversight hearings. Judge Reyes actually opened today's hearing by referencing some recent CNN reporting saying the interior department has destroyed documents related to Trump's construction projects, which it denies. Now, Reyes has asked the government's lawyer if he'd heard anything about that. He said, no, and she said if she finds out otherwise, there will be consequences in a zeptosecond. That, she said, is the shortest measurement of time ever recorded in a lab. DETROW: NPR's Rachel Treisman. Thanks so much. TREISMAN: Thank you, Scott. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of transcripts for NPR programming may vary. Transcript text may also be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Please note that NPR platforms and products also include some programming produced by third parties; NPR cannot guarantee transcripts for that content and some transcripts may be produced using automated or other tools.

Washington, D.C.'s most beloved parks could close indefinitely on Sunday unless a judge decides to intervene. East Potomac Park is home to the municipal golf course that President Trump wants to redevelop into what he calls a championship-level venue. But at a hearing today, administration lawyers argue that repairs are needed not only to the golf course but to the entire recreational area around it. NPR's Rachel Treisman watched the hearing and joins us now. Hey, Rachel. RACHEL TREISMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Scott. DETROW: Did the judge indicate how she'll rule? TREISMAN: District Judge Ana Reyes sounded like she is likely to take action, but she seemed to be grappling with what exactly she can tell the government to do. The government is arguing it needs to close almost the entire park on Sunday for two main reasons. That's the day the lease expires with the golf course's current operator and because it wants to repair the park's seawall, which has been deteriorating for years. Reyes didn't really seem persuaded by that. The government chose to end its operator lease on November 15, which is the day President Trump has said the park would close. And the government acknowledged it doesn't yet have a plan to repair the seawall or a contract to redevelop the golf course. Reyes suggested she'd rule on Saturday. We'll have to see whether she orders the park to stay open or goes even further and tells the government to keep the golf course open, too. DETROW: You've been listening to this since 10 in the morning. What are some of the main sticking points from today? TREISMAN: Yeah. There was a lot of discussion about how Trump's proposed redesign would change a space that so many people here in D.C. just love. Critics say the scale of the course would make it less accessible for beginners, and it would eliminate the perimeter loop that joggers use every day and also for big races, like the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I spoke to event director Rob Wolfe, who is still hoping the race can take place in April. ROB WOLFE: It's really important that people understand that if this roadway goes away, hundreds - thousands of people on a daily basis will lose out. TREISMAN: The government has recently started arguing that the park needs to be closed because the seawall poses a safety issue. At one point, the lawyer mentioned a risk of unattended children falling into the Potomac River at night. The judge seemed pretty incredulous. She kept asking why those concerns hadn't been addressed sooner and whether the whole park really needs to be closed for that. DETROW: How final are these golf course plans? I mean, all of this seems so up in the air. TREISMAN: Totally. The government has already submitted this proposal to two different federal commissions, but it still needs to go through environment