Trump’s East Potomac Golf Plan Faces Legal Hurdle After Press Secretary’s Edited Photo

President Donald Trump announced on October 18, 2026, plans to rebuild East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., into a World Class Championship Golf Course. The Interior Department, led by Secretary Doug Burgum, is working with golf course architect Tom Fazio on the project.

Trump said work would begin November 15 and close the links for about 15 months. He stated the course would remain open to the public while being prepared to host the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

“It was an honor to work for him.”

The project is at the center of a lawsuit by the D.C. Preservation League seeking to stop it. A federal judge is still deciding whether Trump is allowed to proceed.

Former press secretary Katie Zacharia, who served only five days before being fired on Friday, October 16, posted a farewell photo on social media that night. The image appeared to show a blurred map on the Resolute Desk.

Zacharia later posted a second edited photo in which the suspected map had vanished. The Washington Post reported the second image also seemed altered to remove a White House image from a guidebook cover on Trump’s desk.

Social media users compared the blurred image to Trump’s announcement illustration, though it remains unclear whether they depict the same documents or whether the blur shows redevelopment plans at all.