Donald Trump’s remodeling of Washington has claimed another portion of its past.
The president’s zeal for construction has already altered gardens, imperiled public parkland, and sent preservationists rushing to the courts.
His latest dispute over landscaping arrived just weeks after crews removed more than 60 trees from East Potomac Golf Links.
That effort cleared space for Trump’s envisioned 18‑hole championship course.
Now critics are scanning the capital and wondering whether any tree is safe.
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Viral images have convinced many that the Kennedy Center’s historic weeping willows were recently cut down.
The removal removed a living piece of the memorial’s original landscape and unleashed another wave of public incredulity.
Approximately 40 willows once lined the center’s south and west terraces, according to LBC News.
Each was chosen for its mournful silhouette in the wake of President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination. Landscape architect Dan Kiley designed the grounds with Sasaki, Walker and Associates before the center opened in 1971.
Photographs circulating online show the perimeter largely bare.
“I am devastated. The historic weeping willows at the Kennedy Center, our nation’s living memorial to President Kennedy, were cut down,” one Threads user commented.
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“How much of our history are we willing to watch vanish? This is heartbreaking.”
Former Democratic official Adam Parkhomenko is among many who noted that “The iconic weeping willow trees outside the Kennedy Center have been cut down by Trump” on X.
One critic asked, “What does he have against trees and flowers? It seems he only wants concrete and granite!”
The timing made the removal even harder to overlook. Some of the trees felled at East Potomac Park were reportedly historic cherry blossoms. These trees were tied to a gift of trees to the United States from Japan more than a century ago.
“Omfg! First the Cherry Blossoms and now the weeping willows!” one user wrote. “He hates animals and national forests and water too! He wants everything dead!”
The iconic weeping willow trees outside the Kennedy Center have been cut down by Trump. pic.twitter.com/5bZ0AnaPDx
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) September 1, 2026
“This is Beyond Outrageous! This cannot continue. Someone has got to stop this human wrecking ball,” one critic proclaimed.
One person referenced a DOJ official who warned that, if Trump fails to achieve his aims with the Kennedy Center, the building could be torn down.
“I suppose that means the building is next,” another person cautioned.
Ironically, many realized the images were at least a year old. A White House insider claimed, “The Trump Administration did not cut down Willow Trees at the Kennedy Center (they died last year and have not been replaced).”
But that does not alter what Trump is currently doing to reshape East Potomac’s 36-hole public golf facility into an 18-hole championship course.
His proposed 50-acre expansion could wipe out affordable recreation zones, trails, picnic areas, and fishing access.
The former developer contends the course is plagued by dead turf, hazardous trees, and greens that cannot be played, and argues the rebuilt complex could host major tournaments.
Preservationists have opposed the plan in court.
Their lawsuit claims the redevelopment violates the 1897 congressional act that designated East Potomac Park for public recreation.
A judge permitted maintenance work but demanded stronger assurances regarding major renovations and tree removals. Critics argue the recent cutting occurred before the broader project received final approval.
The controversy follows Trump’s move to replace the White House Rose Garden lawn with stone. Historic magnolia trees were also removed.
Curiously, he later admired flowers in Beijing and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for roses. Xi offered to send seeds. The irony nearly watered itself.
For Washington residents, the pattern is hard to miss. Trump keeps promising restoration. The land keeps losing trees.
