Donald Trump has been reshaping Washington, D.C., with the swagger of someone convinced that every historic site deserves his own personal stamp.
The president’s initiatives have ignited court battles, concerns among preservationists, and accusations that he treats the nation’s landmarks as if they were personal property.
Trump now faces accusations that he is carving up another cherished D.C. location beloved by locals.
This time, the president’s drive for a golf course has brought chainsaws into East Potomac Park.
An informal tally by The Washington Post indicates more than 60 trees have been removed from the historic public park.
‘Oh the Scandal’: Trump’s Washington Makeover Sparks Outrage After Fans Discover Another Historic Treasure May Be on the Chopping Block
Photographs circulated by preservation groups show freshly cut stumps across East Potomac Golf Links.
Advocates warn that these removals foreshadow sweeping changes to the historic course.
The Department of the Interior dismissed such concerns, describing the work as “routine maintenance” aimed at removing hazardous or declining trees.
Officials would not say whether Trump’s high-profile championship-style redesign influenced the tree removals.
“The contractor is claiming he was hired to get rid of diseased trees,” one person wrote on Threads. “Anybody with a wrinkled brain knows he’s lying.”
RTEC Tree Care, the company removing trees at East Potomac Golf course, has issued a statement after online uproar and protests over tree removal last week. https://t.co/FOcRCKhs9W pic.twitter.com/9crg46oeG7
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) August 30, 2026
Another observer added, “My heart is breaking. He is destroying everything good about this country.”
In June, Trump announced that East Potomac would become “one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World,” with construction slated to begin September 1.
Yet, days before that date, the public had received no final design, construction schedule, or cost estimates—and federal agencies had not completed the environmental reviews or historic consultations promised in federal court.
Photos captured during Trump’s tour showed the current 36-hole, three-course facility being consolidated into a single 18-hole championship venue.
The proposed layout would push the course onto roughly 50 acres of public parkland currently used for picnicking, fishing, and cycling, while eliminating the historic miniature golf course and a riverside bike trail.
“OMG he did,” remarked one stunned observer. Another responded, “That’s infuriating! I didn’t know he already did it. I thought he needed approval. We don’t care about a dumb golf course.”
I think the Cherry Trees are thing he’s done to D.C.
A future administration can restore the Rose Garden and East Wing to what it was before. But you can restore trees that have been chopped down.
Who is upset by what he has done to our nation’s beauty? pic.twitter.com/YbaAiB1C7C— Lovable Liberal and his Old English sheepdog (@DougWahl1) August 30, 2026
“Who gives a s—t, that doesn’t justify destroying property that belongs to The People,” one critic wrote.
Despite the outcry, only one healthy cherry tree near the 14th green has reportedly been removed.
The cherry trees hold considerable cultural significance for Washington and play a central role in tourism. Japan gifted the city its famous blossoms more than a century ago.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival now draws roughly 1.5 million visitors annually and generates more than $200 million in direct visitor spending, according to DC.gov.
“The cherry blossoms were the best part of DC! I loved watching the trees bloom after winter! Sad to see them being destroyed,” one commenter lamented.
Another asked, “So f—k the National Cherry Blossom Festival? How is this not unAmerican as hell? Why is Trump allowed to do absolutely anything without any repercussions? Trump is America’s Cancer.”
The dispute arrives a year after former President Barack Obama accidentally wandered into a family’s cherry blossom photo at the Tidal Basin.
Obama later apologized to the young siblings Belle and Preston, writing, “My bad for stepping into the shot.”
Their family kept the image for a holiday card.
WHEN AMERICA WAS GREAT 🇺🇸 President Obama went viral after accidentally walking into the background of a family’s cherry blossom photoshoot at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.
Portia Moore was entirely focused on keeping her two young toddlers, Preston and Belle, safely away… pic.twitter.com/0NIlp55gYm— Gianl1974 (@Gianl1974) July 10, 2026
Obama photobombed the cherry blossoms. But Trump’s administration is facing backlash for turning them into stumps.
“We didn’t cut those down even after Pearl Harbor,” one social media user wrote. Yet some called for action.
“He keeps being allowed to get away with this destruction! Who is responsible for stopping him? GOP stop wimping around this criminal and curtail his insane activities,” the commenter wrote.
The uproar over East Potomac marks the latest in a series of controversial alterations to federal landmarks.
Critics point to the sweeping demolition of the White House East Wing for a massive ballroom, the relocation of the Rose Garden lawn to stone paving, ongoing legal fights over adding Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center facade, and plans for a towering triumphal arch near the National Mall.
Preservationists are challenging the East Potomac project in federal court, arguing it violates an 1897 law that reserved the park for the “recreation and pleasure of the people.”
Trump casts his plan as a championship makeover. Critics contend that his ambitions are erasing another piece of public history.
