Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, Donald Trump has diverted a significant chunk of government resources toward the supposed beautification of the nation’s capital. He “fixed” fountains, gilded statues in his favorite shade of gold, and planned self-aggrandizing monuments. Now, with the semiquincentennial only a few days away, it’s clear the president’s year of lavish renovation was more about honoring his ego than honoring the nation. Case in point: his plan to renovate a local public golf course despite a pending federal lawsuit to block the project.
“I just returned from a tour of various Statues, Monuments, Fountains and, most importantly, an old and run down Golf Course located throughout Washington, D.C., our Nation’s Capital,” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social, announcing that he plans to break ground on the renovations on September 1.
The East Potomac Golf Links is a lovely course in need of some upgrades. To call it “dilapidated,” and “very dangerous,” as the president did in the lengthy post, is a wild exaggeration. Trump toured the property with Tom Fazio, the course architect he’s tapped for the project and whom he’s worked with in the past, Fazio’s son Gavin, and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
“We will build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World which, importantly, will also be made available to the Public,” Trump wrote. “When completed, this Course will have the ability to host Major Golf Tournaments, including The U.S. Open, The Ryder Cup, The PGA Championship, and other top PGA Tour events,” the president added.
However, much like his handling of the iconic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the details remain murky. The most popular public course in the D.C. area is currently operated jointly by the National Links Trust, a nonprofit that builds and manages public golf courses across the country. The organization and federal government are currently disputing the Trump administration’s unilateral termination of long-term leases National Links Trust held on the three public courses of the region. The effective takeover disrupted an ongoing renovation process at Rock Creek Park Golf, and dismissed over $8 million already invested in improvements to the courses. Trump announced that the overhaul of the course will be overseen by the Department of the Interior, of course with heavy input from himself. The proposed cost of the Potomac Links project remains a mystery, but if Trump wants PGA tournament standard, one can expect a lot of zeroes.
The president also used the post to complain at length about his most recent public works disaster: the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump repeated unfounded claims that algae bloom and pool liner that had peeled up after a shoddy installation job had been caused by vandals. The president claimed the pool would be in the best condition of its existence by this weekend’s July 4 celebrations, but a clean Reflecting Pool will likely do little to distract from how lame the festivities are shaping up to be.
Virtually every major artist that was set to perform at the Freedom 250 “Great American State Fair” has pulled out of the schedule in order to avoid the political poison of the Trump administration. Ten states have declined to send delegations and exhibits to the exposition, which seems to be haphazardly constructed and is generating the same level of excitement as a high school science fair. Major attractions include a ferris wheel, a scale replica of Trump’s planned “Arc de Triomphe” (which looks like it was rendered on Roblox), and an above-ground swimming pool where one can be baptized in front of an American and Israeli flag. The biggest news story to come of the event so far — besides the apparently dismal attendance and lackluster attractions — is a MAGA streamer who was charged with publicly masturbating on the mall in front of a group of performers.
Trump tried to do some damage control on Truth Social.
“Do you think people appreciate what a fantastic job we did in building and operating the Great American State Fair at the National Mall, packed with happy people, and everybody loving it,” Trump raged Monday morning on Truth Social. “Ask yourself this simple question,’DO YOU THINK THAT OBUMA OR SLEEPY JOE BIDEN COULD HAVE DONE IT?’ THE ANSWER IS NO!”
It’s your party, America.
