WASHINGTON, Feb 13 — A non-profit organisation and two residents in Washington sued United States (US) President Donald Trump's administration on Friday, seeking to stop its attempted overhaul of a more than a century-old public golf course, a court filing showed.
Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has targeted US cultural and historical institutions, from museums and monuments to national parks and arts centres, in an attempt to reshape them.
Late last year, his administration cancelled a lease held by the National Links Trust to oversee three public golf courses in Washington, D.C., giving Trump a fresh opportunity to put his stamp on part of city life.
The Interior Department said it was terminating the 50-year lease the group received in 2020 to operate the golf courses. The agency accused NLT of failing to make required investments in the properties and to pay rent.
NLT disputed the allegations that it defaulted on its lease or failed to pay what was required. It said the Interior Department provided little information about the issue.
The lawsuit filed on Friday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia said the Trump administration's reconstruction of East Potomac Park, which includes the East Potomac Golf Course, violated a congressional act from 1897, which said it should be "forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people."
The Interior Department was quoted by local media as saying it does not comment on pending litigation but added it would "ensure these courses are safe, beautiful, open, affordable, enjoyable, and accessible for people visiting" Washington.
The Interior Department and the National Park Service, which is a part of the department, were named as defendants in the lawsuit. The plaintiffs included non-profit group DC Preservation League and Washington residents Dave Roberts and Alex Dickson.
The lawsuit alleged the Trump administration's actions violated environmental laws and would pollute a park on the National Register of Historic Places.
