'I Am Not the Lorax:' Judge Shrugs off Fight as Trump Administration Moves To Cut 529 DC Golf Course Trees

As many as 529 trees could be felled at a historic public golf course in Washington that Donald Trump wants to rebuild, according to a new federal court filing.

The National Park Service plans to begin another round of cutting at East Potomac Golf Links this weekend, starting with the first of two phases covering 259 trees. The judge overseeing a lawsuit against the project has so far declined to halt the work, declaring at a hearing last month that she was 'not the Lorax.'

The administration insists it has no final plan for the course.

Up to 529 Trees in Two Phases and Beyond

Park Service crews were due to begin 'another major round of cutting' on Saturday 10 October 2026, The Washington Post reported, citing the court filing. The first phase covers 169 trees marked for removal, followed by a second phase of 90.

The Park Service says as many as 529 trees could eventually come down. The administration says it has no final plan to remake the course.

According to The Washington Post's account of the filing, the government describes the removals as maintenance that is separate from the redesign and will go ahead regardless, and says the work will not alter holes, greens or bunkers or remove healthy historic cherry trees.

Opponents argue it could be an early step towards the wider redevelopment. The two phases account for 259 trees, and the filing does not specify when the remainder might be removed.

The new figure dwarfs the first round of felling. By early September, the Park Service had removed about 150 trees, 77 of them invasive species and 73 described as dead, dying or hazardous, a lawyer for the administration told the court, City Cast DC reported.

The Park Service called that work routine maintenance, although witnesses said some of the trees, including a cherry tree, appeared healthy. The park has roughly 3,800 trees, according to CNN. If all 529 were removed, they would represent about 14 per cent of that total.

Judge's 'I Am Not the Lorax' Remark

The case is being heard by US District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, in the federal court in Washington. At a hearing on 3 September, Reyes said she had received threats over the dispute, including from a man who said he would remove her if she did not 'save the trees', CNN reported.

'I do not speak for the trees, I am not the Lorax,' Reyes said, in remarks about the earlier removals and the court's oversight of the work, referring to the Dr Seuss character who defends a forest from destruction. 'I am a judge.'

She also remarked on the irony of 'a president chopping down cherry trees' becoming a court matter in the year the United States marks its 250th anniversary.

Reyes has declined to halt the removals so far, saying the government had complied with her instructions and accepting its explanation that the earlier work was routine maintenance.

She ordered the government to notify the court before cutting more than 10 trees, moving large vehicles onto the course or closing it without public notice. She said the removals carried out so far matched what she had previously allowed, and that she was satisfied with the notice the government had given.

She nonetheless acknowledged the plaintiffs' fear of irreversible damage. 'What I don't want is to be here with a fait accompli,' she said.

Trump's Vision for a Championship Course

East Potomac Golf Links occupies a 300-acre man-made peninsula just south of the National Mall. The public course currently has two nine-hole layouts and an 18-hole course,.

Trump first publicly proposed taking over and expanding the course in May, describing it as 'dilapidated, worn out, and very dangerous and outdated'. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum later unveiled a rendering by Fazio Design, the firm of golf architect Tom Fazio.

CNN reported that updated plans would turn most of the peninsula into a single 18-hole championship course and drop a playground, a recreation area and a nine-hole course for beginners, although the public renderings released so far have not set out a final layout.

Fazio has said Trump wants the course to become 'literally a national monument' capable of hosting a national championship. The target is to have it ready for play by summer 2028.

The administration has released a rendering of the proposed redesign, but it has not published a final design, and the plans have not yet been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission or the US Commission of Fine Arts. The government has told the court it will meet federal environmental and historic preservation requirements before construction begins.

Preservationists' Lawsuit Under Pressure

The DC Preservation League and two local golfers, Dave Roberts and Alex Dickson, sued in February to stop construction linked to the golf plans. They argue that their objections go beyond aesthetics and include environmental harm and the loss of public access to the park.

In early September, the Justice Department asked Reyes to dismiss the case, arguing that two recent Supreme Court rulings in unrelated cases, including one on the White House East Wing ballroom, supported dismissal. Reyes allowed the plaintiffs to amend their complaint and said she would move quickly on any renewed motion to dismiss.

Some claims about the felling have been exaggerated online. FactCheck.org found that social media posts asserting Trump had cut down 60 cherry trees were false.

With the next round of cutting due to begin, the peninsula could lose several hundred more trees while the administration's proposed redesign remains under evaluation.