Donald Trump Blasts Judge Blocking His Washington, D.C., Golf Course Renovation as a 'Crazed Lunatic' While Demanding 'First Class' Makeover

Donald Trump took time out from his schedule of political rallies late night on October 18 to take aim at another of his recent nemeses: the judge who is blocking his plan to chop down some of the oldest cherry trees in Washington, D.C.

Trump’s plan to expand the East Potomac Golf Course to cover all of East Potomac Park ran into a snag when U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes ordered the government not to make any irreversible changes without advance notice. When workers nonetheless removed 529 cherry trees, Reyes raged at Justice Department attorneys that the department had lost “all of its credibility” and warned them “ignorance is not an excuse.”

Trump often makes a habit of rushing projects ahead to outrun legal consequences, as with his controversial White House ballroom, for which he demolished the East Wing. “There is no practical or reasonable way to go back,” he declared at the time. “IT IS TOO LATE!”

Back in April, Reyes cautioned attorneys not to try that stunt with her. “I told you I wasn’t going to deal with that,” a transcript quoted her as saying.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump unleashed on the judge and made a vigorous though not overly coherent defense of his case.

“The United States Department of Interior wants to take a terrible and very unsafe golf course, and make it into a great, safe, and prestigious golf course,” he wrote. “They have an absolute right to do so. It’s as simple as that!”

Trump, who has faced controversy about his own rumored cognitive issues, went on to question Reyes’ mental capacity.

“The judge on the case is a crazed lunatic whose courthouse tapes will reveal, may be insane?” he ranted. “The tapes have been blocked from usage by the judge.”

Reyes has made no ruling involving recordings, so it’s unclear what Trump was talking about.

Trump continued: “The random golfer bringing the ridiculous lawsuit has ZERO STANDING! The experts at ‘Interior’ are allowed to do this First Class renovation ‘as of right.’ They do not need an approval. Work is scheduled to begin IMMEDIATELY! The finished product will be World Class, and bring income and great prestige back to D.C.”

Renovations to Washington, D.C., have been an ongoing project of Trump’s second administration, and frequently run into legal trouble. His massive ballroom project that razed the East Wing of the White House remains tied up in court, and a judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In a Truth Social post in July, Trump spoke poorly of the existing park, in particular its utility for golfing.

"Many of the trees are badly damaged from years of neglect, putting people in great danger from falling branches, and the trees falling themselves," he declared. "The grass is largely dead, the greens are virtually unplayable, and the Course is in very poor general condition but, after many years of horrendous maintenance, and little money devoted to the process of upkeep, we have determined that this location can bring tremendous success and prestige back to Washington, D.C."