Trump rails at Moore over pace of Jack Nicklaus golf course project

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President Donald Trump is claiming that Gov. Wes Moore has stalled Trump’s efforts to redesign a pair of golf courses, reigniting the president’s fight with the Democratic star and possible 2028 presidential contender.

The claims – which Maryland officials dispute – center on Trump’s plans to redevelop two courses at Joint Base Andrews, a military facility located in Maryland. Jack Nicklaus, a golf legend and friend of the president, has agreed to rework and expand the courses, but Trump alleged on Friday night that Moore has “put a halt to all work” on the project.

“By doing this, the Governor is attacking the United States Air Force, and our Military, not a smart thing to do,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, complaining that Maryland was hampering the work by requiring legal reviews.

“These Courses exist, they are terrible, Jack Nicklaus will make them GREAT,” Trump added.

The Andrews golf course project is among a series of construction and renovation projects that the president has prioritized in his second term, sometimes steering work to longtime friends and associates. He has frequently sought to bulldoze through legal reviews and public comment periods to rush the projects, which include an expansive White House ballroom and a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch, with hopes of completing them before his term ends in January 2029.

Maryland officials said they were perplexed by the president’s claims about the golf course project, adding that state employees had met with Air Force officials as recently as Friday – hours before Trump’s post on Truth Social – to talk about next steps.

One potential tension point is the project’s timeline: Air Force officials had said they hoped to begin construction on the courses next week, which Maryland officials said was an ambitious goal given the need to secure necessary permits.

Maryland has told the Air Force that the state will work to move the project forward and not stand in the way, state officials said.

“Honestly we have no idea what Donald Trump is talking about,” Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Moore, said after Trump’s post. “Maryland has not halted this project, has not told Joint Base Andrews to stop work, and has been actively working with the Air Force on the permitting process since they raised it just two weeks ago.”

The Air Force is pushing to complete the work within two years, before Trump’s term ends, Maryland officials said.

Air Force officials referred questions to the White House, which declined to comment on Trump’s claims or Maryland officials’ response. A spokesman referred back to the president’s post.

“President Trump is a champion-level golfer with an extraordinary eye for detail and design, and his vision to renovate and beautify Joint Base Andrews’s golf courses will bring much needed improvements that servicemembers and their families will be able to enjoy for generations to come,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement.

A representative for Nicklaus did not respond for a request for comment.

The dustup between the president and the governor of the nearby, liberal-leaning state is just the latest confrontation between the two men.

Trump has launched spats with Moore over both petty and consequential matters: fighting over deploying the National Guard to patrol civilian streets and also disinviting the Maryland governor from a White House gathering of the country’s governors because Trump found Moore “not worthy.” Trump has also accused the first-term Democrat of improperly handling a sewage spill in the Potomac River.

Moore has responded with ridicule, outrage and combativeness in turn. He has posted social media videos of himself rolling his eyes at Trump’s comments, mocking him and even calling him a liar, including about the Potomac River spill.

The golf course project has been under development since last year. Trump flew over the base with Nicklaus, who followed his record-setting playing career by becoming a prominent golf course designer and has been a longtime playing partner of the president.

“Jack will be the architect and he’ll design it,” Trump told reporters in November 2025, adding that the existing courses were “in very bad shape” and could be fixed up “for very little money.”

Joint Base Andrews is a roughly 15-minute helicopter flight from the White House, and past presidents, including Barack Obama, regularly used its golf courses. Trump, an avid weekend golfer, has preferred going to courses owned by his family business since returning to the White House last year.

Air Force officials posted plans this year showing how they would renovate Andrews’s North Course, the first of the two they are seeking to overhaul. Golf experts have said that the proposal would put the course on par with the highest-caliber courses in the Greater Washington area in terms of difficulty and length. Officials have not yet said who will pay for the project.

The Air Force is seeking to renovate the base’s North Course by July 2027 and its South Course by July 2028, Maryland officials said.

The Air Force has not filed a single permit to begin the work, the officials said, instead requesting waivers and exemptions with a goal of beginning work as soon as June 15.

Dan Diamond is a White House reporter for The Washington Post, with a focus on policy, public health and President Trump’s transformation of Washington. Erin Cox is a national politics reporter. She joined The Washington Post in 2018 as a staff writer on the Metro desk.