President Trump on Wednesday signed a marble piece that will be part of the new South Lawn helipad he says will be operational this month.
“For 50 years — more than that — they’ve wanted to have a heliport, but nobody knew how to go about it,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “And we are building a great heliport. It’s donated by Sikorsky, by the helicopter company, because we have helicopters that can’t even land here.”
He added, “This is the road for the White House, and that was done through donations, including donations from me.”
Mr. Trump said the helipad will be ready ahead of the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping in late September.
Mr. Trump also added his signature to the slab’s bottom and invited members of the construction team and military service members to sign it.
The president has long argued that a helipad is necessary at the White House to accommodate the new Marine One because the advanced helicopter would ruin the South Lawn’s grass.
The Trump administration is phasing out the old Marine One, a VH-3D Sea King, and replacing it with a VH-92A Patriot, which is much more powerful and could burn the South Lawn grass. Both helicopters are made by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky.
The helipad, being made of granite and featuring the White House seal, is expected to be used for outdoor events, including presidential press conferences.
It’s the latest of several changes Mr. Trump has made to the White House.
He paved over the Rose Garden, installed a black granite walkway along the West Wing Colonnade, redesigned the Oval Office, placed two large American flagpoles on the North and South lawns, and demolished the East Wing to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
He also made small changes, such as adding a gold “Oval Office” sign and a “Hall of Presidents” on the White House colonnade that includes some unflattering remarks about recent Democratic presidents.
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