Washington’s oldest grove of Japanese cherry trees is at risk of vanishing, or at least shrinking, thanks to President Donald Trump’s golf course renovation plan. The trees, a gift from Japan, landed in Washington in January 1910.
According to Trump’s plans, East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., would be transformed into a single 18-hole championship course. However, parts of the plan have triggered concerns.
Donald Trump’s East Potomac Golf Links proposal has sparked debate over bike paths, picnic areas, and historic cherry trees
The existing park includes the cherry grove, a riverside bicycle trail, and a miniature golf course—all popular attractions. However, the new structure will not only remove the grove, but also cut into 50 acres of parkland used for fishing, picnicking, and cycling, People reported.
While sharing his plans for the East Potomac Golf Links on Truth Social, Trump wrote that he planned to “build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World,” meant to “host major golf tournaments,” according to Euronews.
Trump carried the plans during his visit to the site on June 28. He said that he planned to begin construction on September 1.
The Washington Post and The New York Times obtained a photo of the architectural plans, which appeared to show the East Potomac Golf Links covering the entirety of East Potomac Park and cutting into the historic grove of cherry trees.
The new plan violates an 1897 act establishing the park for public recreation and access, Trump’s opponents argue. The park sits on federal land run by the National Park Service.
Trump also said that many of the trees were “badly damaged from years of neglect,” as a result of which they were “putting people in great danger from falling branches, and the trees falling themselves.”
That itself was an indicator that Trump wants those trees removed.
DO YOU THINK TRUMP IS RIGHT TO CUT TREES AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR A WORLD-CLASS GOLF COURSE?
