WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Park Service has begun a new round of tree-cutting at a historic golf course near the National Mall as the Trump administration proceeds with a plan to renovate the East Potomac Golf Links into a championship-level course.
More than 500 trees “that do not contribute to the historic landscape will be removed” as part of the rehabilitation project, the National Park Service said in a court filing Friday. “No healthy trees that are contributing features of the historical golf course” — including historic cherry trees — will be removed as part of the project, the park service said.
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A golfer pauses near recently cut down trees as the National Park Service begins removing trees at East Potomac Golf Links, Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Golfers pass workers as the National Park Service begins cutting down trees at East Potomac Golf Links, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Golfers pass workers as the National Park Service begins cutting down trees at East Potomac Golf Links, Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
A golfer pauses near recently cut down trees as the National Park Service begins removing trees at East Potomac Golf Links, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
A total of 169 trees will be removed starting Saturday, with another 90 trees slated for removal later, the agency said.
The tree removals come as President Donald Trump has moved to turn the course into a world-class golf venue — part of his grand vision for Washington, D.C., where he has torn down storied structures, remade or renamed others and deployed the National Guard for more than a year.
Some residents fear the planned changes to the golf course — where Trump has visited with a cabinet member, a well-known golf course architect and blueprints — risk altering the character of a place that has served Washingtonians of all income levels for more than a century. Turning the park into an upscale golf course will mean costlier fees and a likely loss of public space.
"The National Park Service is finally implementing a 7-year-old plan to address tree overgrowth at East Potomac Golf Course,'' the Interior Department said in a statement Saturday. The department oversees the park service and other agencies that manage federal lands.
The renovation work will include selective tree and vegetation work to restore the course, the Interior Department said, adding that the work is intended to “help restore the course’s historic character and reopen views toward landmarks, including the Washington Monument, National War College, Potomac River and Washington Channel."
The park service “recognizes the importance of trees to the park and its visitors. This carefully planned work is part of our required stewardship of the park,” the statement said.
The golf course will remain open to the public throughout the renovation effort, although individual holes may temporarily close while work is underway, the agency said.
The 106-year-old public course has been embroiled in a lawsuit since February. Plaintiffs including the DC Preservation League say the Trump administration’s reconstruction would violate the congressional act that created the park in 1897. The group sought an emergency stop-work order this spring because of concerns that work was expected to begin immediately on the course.
Trump, an avid golfer, has posted about the course on social media, “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,” he wrote in late June.
It’s unclear when the course could host any major tournaments, as locations are chosen several years ahead of the events.
A golfer pauses near recently cut down trees as the National Park Service begins removing trees at East Potomac Golf Links, Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Golfers pass workers as the National Park Service begins cutting down trees at East Potomac Golf Links, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Golfers pass workers as the National Park Service begins cutting down trees at East Potomac Golf Links, Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
A golfer pauses near recently cut down trees as the National Park Service begins removing trees at East Potomac Golf Links, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
CAIRO (AP) — The international airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, was attacked again Saturday as the kingdom faces an extraordinary series of assaults in the new front in the Iran war. President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.
The Houthis claimed attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot. On Saturday, a missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights and many people were wounded, a regional official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media.
“We may. We’re going to look at it,” Trump said of intervening. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
The surge in attacks, including against other Saudi airports, military facilities and oil infrastructure, has come in the week since a Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive against the Houthis. There was no immediate statement from the rebels, who earlier Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital.
Saudi civil aviation authorities said airport operations were suspended and the extent of injuries and damage was being assessed. An official notice to aviators said the suspension was through midnight. The airport had a heavy police presence, with all entrances blocked, and lights around the complex were dimmed.
Flights diverted elsewhere, the Flightradar24 tracker said. Countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada warned citizens to avoid the airport.
The attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, have rattled markets and the region. And yet the Saudi energy ministry hours after the latest one was still promoting a major international energy conference set to begin in Riyadh on Sunday.
Fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has escalated, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support for government forces attempting to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea. Those gains gave the rebels better surveillance of shipping on a corridor that is a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships.
Though the Houthis have told the AP and others they are only targeting Saudi shipping as part of a blockade in retaliation for one imposed on them, concerns about wider attacks persist. The Houthis previously attacked other ships after the war in Gaza began, calling it solidarity with Palestinians. A U.S. bombing campaign sharply limited that.
Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense support to the region, regional officials told the AP last month, with one noting that the U.S. has seen its own stock dwindle during the war with Iran.
Officials have said U.S. assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive against the Houthis.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said its foreign minister and Omani counterpart spoke by phone about the importance of “supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions” in the region. Oman, which lies across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, has played a mediator role at times in the region.
Meanwhile, Saudi authorities warned the public this week that "filming, publishing or sharing information related to countering missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes you to legal liability.”
The Houthis this week warned global airlines “for the last time” about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theater for their military operations.
At least 291 flights at the Riyadh airport had been canceled over the past 24 hours, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. Before the latest attack, Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines were among airlines suspending flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for varying periods.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency had expanded its guidance on Saudi airspace, noting the Houthis’ ability to strike targets deeper inside the kingdom, including Riyadh, and a “greater focus on aviation infrastructure.”
The missile and drone attacks and interception efforts “create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft,” it said.
Two regional officials said Houthi attacks on the Riyadh airport on Thursday damaged three planes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media. The Saudi national carrier said one of its aircraft was damaged while it was on the ground, with no passengers on board.
Anna reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Victoria Eastwood in Cairo, Collin Binkley in Washington and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.
This image from video obtained and verified by AP shows thick black smoke and flames rising from a fire at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
