Trump reveals White House staffer hit 'violently in the chest' by golf ball and says he'll hold judge responsible for anyone killed at 'disgusting' DC course

President Trump blasted a federal judge who blocked his planned overhaul of a Washington, DC, golf course - calling the venue 'disgusting,' and vowing to hold the judge 'fully responsible' for any liabilities that might occur at the site.

Trump's remarks come after US District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction blocking renovation work at the East Potomac Golf Course.

He vowed that his administration would hold the Reyes 'fully responsible' for 'anybody who is hurt, or killed' at the East Potomac golf links, which Trump described as 'very dangerous, dilapidated, and unsightly.'

'The driving range should provide Golfers with stunning views of the Washington Monument, not of a barren, debris-ridden wasteland,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'The driving range should not be a threat to life and limb.'

Trump also claimed that a White House staffer was hit 'violently' in the chest by a golf ball - an event he seemed to attribute to the 'gaping holes' in the driving range's protective netting.

His remarks cap a months-long legal fight over the fate of East Potomac golf links, which houses three golf courses, including an 18-hole course, as well as running and biking trails frequented by locals.

That plan has been held up in court for months following a lawsuit brought by several preservation groups.

Trump has vowed to turn the site into a 'championship-caliber' course, prompting Reyes's temporary court order earlier this year.

Workers feed branches of hundreds of removed trees into a wood chipper at East Potomac Golf Links golf course in Washington, DC

Trump gestures during a rally in Tennessee. Trump has eyed the East Potomac Golf Course for renovation as part of a broader 'beautification' effort in the nation's capital- sparking a flurry of court action

President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum tour the East Potomac Park Golf Course in June 2026

But their actions in the months since have sparked deep frustration and incredulity from Reyes.

Most recently, she issued a new preliminary instruction Monday spelling out in detail what actions the administration cannot take - in response to the National Park Service's abrupt removal of some 430 trees at the site on the morning of Oct. 9.

Reyes noted in court that they provided plaintiffs with less than 24 hours’ notice before doing so - sparking fury and at times, incredulity.

'I am at a total loss to understand what has happened here,' Reyes said, adding that she had very explicitly instructed the Justice Department to update the court if it planned to 'conduct any imminent, significant construction or destructive activities of an irretrievable character' at the East Potomac Golf Course.

'What universe did anyone in your office think that was acceptable?' Reyes asked the Trump administration at another point during that hearing, her frustration apparent.

The new preliminary injunction she issued Monday temporarily bars the Trump administration from removing or damaging any additional trees on the East Potomac Golf Course.

It also requires the administration to provide at least 10 days' notice, 'in writing,' before making any modification to the 'form or features' of the course, including changes to 'the park’s landforms, vegetation, course design, hydrology, pathways, and structures.'

'The Court earlier stated, ‘I am not the Lorax. I do not speak for the trees,'' Reyes said Monday, in a nod to her remarks at a hearing earlier this year.

'The Court still does not speak for the trees,' she said. 'It speaks only for the rule of law.'

Separately, Reyes ordered Stanley Woodward, the Justice Department's associate attorney general, to appear in court Friday for a status hearing.

When actor and singer Sebastian Croft was named as part of this year's star–studded Celebrity Traitors line–up, fans could be forgiven for underestimating him. After all, most had no idea who he was.

Alongside the likes of Richard E Grant, Jerry Hall and Michael Sheen, the 24–year–old – who had a minor role in Game Of Thrones, but found fame in Netflix hit Heartstopper – was expected, perhaps, to remain in their shadows.

But Friday's final put a firm end to that as he rumbled the remaining Traitors and took the crown with fellow Faithful Romesh Ranganathan.

Describing his victory as 'just incredible', Bash said: 'This might actually be the best day of my life.'

When it comes to his career, that may well prove to be true. But Bash has been quietly carving out a showbusiness career, having attended acting academies since he was seven.

When he was a teenager, and already starring in the West End, his parents were so determined he would be a star they moved to a flat in Covent Garden so the theatre world was on his doorstep.

Bash's mother Doulla – who stood as a Green party candidate in Kensington and Chelsea in May's local elections, winning just 346 votes – said: 'We joke that from our flat it is quicker for us to go home in the interval to use the loos, than stand in a queue at the theatre.'

Bash's West End stage debut was in 2010 in Sam Mendes' production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and a year later he was cast as Gavroche in Les Miserables.

Actor Sebastian 'Bash' Croft, 24, has emerged as the breakout star of The Celebrity Traitors after winning the BBC competition alongside comedian Romesh Ranganathan

Bash’s mother Doulla stood as a Green party candidate in Kensington and Chelsea in May’s local elections, winning just 346 votes

Bash attended St Edward’s boarding school in Oxford. Pictured is St. Edward's School Woodstock Road, Oxford

Those who know Bash recall a comfortable upbringing. His father John is co–founder of Elevate, one of the leading innovators in the legal services industry, which generates about £100million in annual revenue.

Bash attended St Edward's boarding school in Oxford – where fees cost up to £62,000 a year – after leaving the nearby Dragon's independent school.

It means his £41,500 share of the Traitors prize pot, which will be donated to charity Choose Love, which supports LGBT refugees around the world, is rather small change.

But it is a cause close to his heart. He experienced his fair share of turmoil at St Edward's – in particular, after he was outed by a fellow student, who had also been his secret boyfriend. It led to him leaving the school at 16.

He said in an interview: 'I don't blame the other boy who did it, because he was obviously just also trying to navigate the fact that he was getting chipped for being gay. But it was a really lonely and difficult time in my life.'

He did his A–levels at the £35,000–a–year Mander Portman Woodward, a sixth–form college in Kensington.

After leaving school, Bash won the role of young Eddard Stark (portrayed by Sean Bean as an adult) in the sixth series of the HBO hit Game Of Thrones. His film debut came in the adaptation of Stephen Fry's novel The Hippopotamus, and he appeared in Horrible Histories: The Movie.

But his most prominent role has been as Ben Hope in the 2022 Netflix series Heartstopper, a coming–of–age drama about two teenage boys who fall in love.

Bash has kept his own love life out of the spotlight, but in recent weeks it has emerged that he dated his Heartstopper co–star Joe Locke. He is now single and focusing on a variety of projects. He releases his debut EP, The Great Forever, this month, while a weekly podcast, The Sunday Scaries With Bash Croft, starts today.

And armed with his friendship with the BBC's golden boy Ranganathan – along with the star–strewn cast of Celebrity Traitors – the opportunities are unlikely to dry up anytime soon.