President Donald Trump on his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course on July 28, 2022 (Image: Shutterstock)
The National Links Trust has been officially cast aside after President Donald Trump's administration seized control of the three public golf courses in Washington, D.C.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Trump officially killed the 50-year lease between the National Park Service and the nonprofit Trust, which oversees Langston Golf Course, Rock Creek Park Golf and East Potomac Golf Links.
To legally break the contract, the government had to identify violations; however, the Interior Department’s Solicitor’s Office skipped that step. Instead, it issued a notice of default at the end of October. The Interior Department issued a letter on Tuesday, severing the contract.
The trust said in a statement that they are “fundamentally in disagreement with the administration’s characterization” and “devastated” by the decision. It had been working on a large-scale renovation project for Rock Creek Park, which has now been suspended.
The trust's co-founder, Michael McCartin, said that they'd remain in place to oversee the course before they're shut down.
“Our mission is to provide affordable and accessible golf,” McCartin said, “and our obligation is to our employees and the community. These are important places, and without an alternative, we can’t let them sit, closed and unavailable to the community.”
He added that they're exploring legal options.
The Trump's Interior Department issued the statement: “The Trump administration prides itself on getting the job done for the American people and partnering with others who share that same goal," the Post reported.
The report described it as just another "extraordinary federal intervention into the management of District recreational assets and reflects a broader push by President Donald Trump to remake high-profile civic spaces in the nation’s capital, from the Kennedy Center to the White House grounds, while expanding the federal government’s role in policing the city."
Washington Post congressional reporter Paul Kane called the move, "A similar but slightly different version of Kennedy Center takeover."
"Terrible news for D.C.-area golfers like me who don’t belong to private clubs and rely on public and muni courses," lamented Steven Shepard, the associate director for political research at Pew.