WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s campaign to remake landmarks of the nation’s capital in his image expanded into the realm of golf this week with his administration’s termination of leases on Washington’s three public courses.
The move, first reported by the Washington Post, was confirmed to NBC News by two administration officials and the nonprofit organization that held the leases. The administration and the nonprofit, the National Links Trust, disagree about whether obligations to maintain and improve the three courses — Rock Creek, East Potomac and Langston — have been fulfilled.
“The Trump administration prides itself on getting the job done for the American people and partnering with others who share that same goal,” an Interior Department spokesperson told NBC News.
The unilateral decision to end the 50-year lease, which was awarded in 2020, comes at a time when Trump is seeking to leave his imprint on a variety of public facilities in the nation’s capital.
He has undertaken a massive project to demolish the East Wing of the White House and replace it with a ballroom at what he says will cost $400 million.
Earlier this year, the Trump-appointed board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, elected the president chairman. And late last month, the board voted to rename its institution the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a move that has prompted some performers to cancel planned engagements.
Trump, who is openly pressing to be named a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has also had his name added to the U.S. Institute of Peace.
For a president who prides himself on land development, golf skills and aesthetic taste, Washington’s three public courses represent another set of canvases on which Trump may leave a more permanent mark in the nation’s capital.
In a statement, the National Links Trust took issue with the administration’s conclusion that it had defaulted on its lease by failing to pay rent or come up with a credible plan to make improvements to the courses.
“We are fundamentally in disagreement with the administration’s characterization of NLT as being in default under the lease,” the trust said in its statement. “We have always had a productive and cooperative working relationship with the National Park Service and have worked hand in hand on all aspects of our golf course operations and development projects.”
Specifically, the trust said, it has put more than $8.5 million into capital improvement projects, contributing to a doubling of revenue and the number of rounds played. While the future of the courses is up in the air, the trust will pursue further discussion with the administration and keep duffers on the fairways.
“We have agreed to stay in place for the time being as operators so that the DC courses can remain open,” it said in its statement. “This will allow uninterrupted access to golf in the District and our hundreds of dedicated employees to stay in place.”
