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10h ago

Trump Administration Terminates Nonprofit’s 50-Year Lease for D.C. Public Golf Courses

The nonprofit rejects the default allegation, citing $8.5 million in upgrades with approved rent offsets.

Tall trees tower over golfers on the Rock Creek Park Golf Course on October 31, 2023, in Washington, DC.
A golfer tees off as a dump truck exits a makeshift dump site after dropping soil and debris from the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is being built, at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 23, 2025. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak
Former President Donald Trump takes a swing during a practice round of the LIV Golf Bedminster golf tournament at Trump National Bedminster.
US President Donald Trump, on the first tee during the official opening of the New Course, the second championship course at Trump International Golf Links, on the Menie Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire. The president is opening up a new course dedicated to his Scottish mother, who grew up on the Isle of Lewis, as part of his five-day private trip to the country. Picture date: Tuesday July 29, 2025. 81132044 (Press Association via AP Images)

Overview

  • The Interior Department ended National Links Trust’s 2020 lease for East Potomac, Rock Creek and Langston, citing missed capital-improvement obligations and unpaid rent.
  • A termination letter seen by Reuters said NLT failed to provide reasonable assurances of funding or a plan to meet investment commitments required under the agreement.
  • NLT said it has complied with the lease, invested $8.5 million and used approved rent offsets, and it will keep day-to-day operations running as long-term renovations stop, including the Rock Creek rehabilitation.
  • The White House has not disclosed plans for the courses, though President Trump previously floated redeveloping them, and coverage notes the move could let him reshape prominent D.C. public links.
  • Local leaders and golf advocates warn about potential threats to affordability and access, particularly at historically significant Langston, and NLT is weighing legal options after an earlier default notice.