WASHINGTON — Every Sunday afternoon during the summer, just an hour from the White House, a group of wounded veterans take to the waters of the Potomac River in kayaks for exercise, therapy and camaraderie before cutting into a free barbecue organized by the community.

The weekly ritual is now threatened by the recreational outings of a man who has frequently praised the nation’s wounded warriors: President Trump.

To protect the president’s rounds at his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., the Coast Guard plans to regularly close off the stretch of the Potomac that the veterans of Team River Runner use, along with summer campers, Olympic athletes and casual paddlers. Mindful of the veterans’ grievous war wounds — some physical, some psychological — Washington’s chapter of Team River Runner likes to avoid the crowds in nearby creeks and more heavily used stretches of the river.

That may soon be impossible.

“We are very thoughtful about where we paddle, so we don’t go where there will be danger or conflict,” said co-founder Joe Mornini. “Our veterans have had enough conflict.”