Trump Confirms White House Helipad Project

President Trump said Monday that he's building a granite helipad on the White House lawn, insisting that the landing area is needed to accommodate new, more powerful presidential choppers. Confirmation of the project came as construction crews had already begun working on the helipad on the South Lawn, where the president had UFC build a temporary arena for a cage fight celebrating his 80th birthday. He said the project would be privately funded and estimated its cost at up to $6 million, the AP reports.

• "It's got the seal of the White House on it in granite, in carved granite," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's really a beautiful thing."

• The president did not offer details on how long the work would take. It is the latest major construction project he has overseen in an effort to increasingly mold the White House in his own image.
• Some of Trump's major White House construction projects have relied on public money, even when the president initially suggested otherwise. Still, Trump said that Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin, would be paying for the helipad.
• Asked about the cost of the project and a timeline for its completion, Lockheed Martin responded with a statement reading in part: "This specific contribution was made to the Trust for the National Mall, the National Park Service's non-profit organization" and "conducted in full accordance with all applicable laws and regulations."

• In 2024, Sikorsky completed a new fleet of helicopters for use as Marine One, and Joe Biden took the first flight aboard a modern VH-92A helicopter on his way to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—the same day the military announced Sikorsky delivered the last of the 23 new aircraft. But Trump said the new aircraft were more powerful than Vietnam War-era choppers that had long been used as Marine One, and that the modern ones were too potent to land on the White House lawn without damaging the grass. "It's not that the grass gets discolored—it gets ripped out," the president said.
• The new aircraft has indeed seen limited service because their exhaust vents aim heat downward, scorching the White House South Lawn. The Marines and Sikorsky have spent years trying to find a solution to the problem, which has meant that the new helicopters haven't been used at the White House. A 2026 Marine Corps aviation plan said the older VH-3Ds will remain in service through the end of this year.
• Trump said Monday that Sikorsky was building the helipad and paying the "full cost" because they "felt a little bit guilty" that the new fleet of helicopters was too powerful to land at the White House. Trump also said he told builders to "do a beauty" and suggested granite rather than simply laying concrete and painting it white.
• "You're landing on granite, which is the strongest stone," the president said, noting that the completed landing pad could also be used for other events, like outdoor White House news conferences. He added that the helipad will allow officials to "finally retire 45-year-old helicopters" that had been used as Marine One.