1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

Trump has taken his latest legal war over his Washington, D.C. makeover to East Potomac Golf Links. It’s a century-old public course along the Potomac River. Trump wants to turn it into what he calls a world-class venue. The project met backlash right away. And in May, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to give notice before any permanent changes. So what did the administration do? It filed the notice at 4:55 on the Friday before a holiday weekend. Then crews cut down more than 400 trees on the course. The judge was furious. “I trusted you all not to do precisely what you have done,” she said. She ordered the work to be halted until October 26th. And she demanded that senior officials testify in court about the tree removals. Now Trump is going a step further. This past weekend, the Justice Department called on the judge to remove herself from the case. The associate attorney general wrote that the judge’s “conduct in this case continues a pattern of animus against the Trump administration.” And that her demands were needlessly urgent. Trump weighed in too. This morning, he blasted the judge on Truth Social, calling her “a crazed lunatic” who “may be insane.” He also announced that “work is scheduled to begin IMMEDIATELY!” Think about that. A federal court has ordered the work stopped. And the president just announced it’s starting anyway. And look, Trump can complain all he wants. But the midterms are two weeks away. Americans are struggling with gas prices. With healthcare costs. With grocery bills. And Trump would rather pick a fight with a federal judge over his golf course than fix any of the problems he created. Voters notice. So the GOP operatives are right. Trump is distracted. But only from serving the American people. I’m sure Trump’s powerful friends will be delighted to start swinging golf clubs at their sparkling new course on the Potomac.