WASHINGTON — Something told me to get me over to East Potomac Park before Donald Trump destroyed it.

Sure enough, I did, on a rainy Sunday morning, for a rally to protect the waterfront parkland from his axe. On the next weekend, he cut down 430 trees — for a fancy golf course, of course. He sneakily started on a Saturday morning on the three-day holiday weekend.

Trump did this against a judge's orders. But she was just a woman, appointed by former President Joseph Biden. Here's the thing: Once the trees are axed and lying on the ground like murder victims, no judge or demonstration can bring them back to life.

"More than just being upset and furious right now, I'm just beyond disappointed in the government," U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes declared. The day before, she scolded a government lawyer, "You did your absolute worst."

Reyes let the people of the city down. She should know better, dealing with this White House and its contempt for courts.

Now we know that golf is about all Trump thinks about, apart from ruining our cityscape with fences, barriers and monuments to himself. Actually, a new luxury golf club is right in line with ruining our cityscape.

Mind you, this land, designated as a public park by Congress in 1897, is soaked with free memories for the whole city. Nobody could believe that Trump would seize it, when it has such sentimental and recreational value. People remember their first dates there. The greenery by the waterfront is part of our city fabric, which Trump wants to tear apart. Again.

The morning I was there, across the water from the Smithsonian Institution castle, I spied a lone fisherman, lots of runners round Haines Point, bikers galore, optimistic picnickers hoping the clouds would clear, and the humble, open public golf course that charged affordable fees for players without joining a club. The tennis courts, too, were open to all.

Many people took their first golf swings there, over generations. It's a rich man's game, usually, but this was an exception.

Friendly folks worked the sandwich and burger bar. A Commanders football game was on the screen. This casual place welcomed everybody. There are so few common gathering spaces left, thanks to Trump, who barricaded Lafayette Square across from the White House.

The DC Preservation League is trying to thwart the Trump takeover in court.

The vibe reminded me of what Daniel Webster once said about Dartmouth College: "It is, Sir, as I have said, a small college. And yet, there are those who love it."

Under Trump's thumb, I've seen that in Washington, you have to live defensively and expect the worst. The things you love are no longer given. They say that's the working definition of tragedy: losing all that you thought you had and cherished.

Rapacious like no other president, Trump is a nightmare from which we're trying to awake. Some voters in his base are beginning to see how little he respects and cares for commoners.

It wasn't enough for Trump to shutter the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The symphony, the opera, the ballet and theater have gone dark. So have the 365 free performances held there on the Millennium Stage.

Our collective sanity (through the arts) is under stress and siege.

Trump demanded his name etched in marble next to JFK's. That was a bridge too far for Congress, the public and the judge. So he closed the gorgeous building, with priceless art from embassies all over the world.

It wasn't enough to secretly demolish the East Wing of the White House for a gaudy ballroom, creating a mound full of dust, debris, lead and rock. This was after Trump lied about the size and impact of the project, and guess what he did with the debris? He dumped it in East Potomac Park, near the historic golf course.

It's not enough to have an Arc de Trump (if he gets to build it), which will block the view from Arlington National Cemetery over to the Lincoln Memorial.

But, as Trump rightly says, nobody will build memorials to him when he's gone.

The author may be reached at JamieStiehm.com. To find out more about Jamie Stiehm and other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, please visit creators.com.

Photo credit: Will Porada at Unsplash