Trump Unveils Granite White House Helipad, Signs Slab
Trump Unveils Granite White House Helipad, Signs Slab
The News
President Trump unveiled his nearly finished White House helipad on Wednesday, signing a granite slab and telling reporters the new South Lawn platform will be operational this month.
Trump issued an impromptu invitation for reporters to walk the site, which includes a replacement of the White House driveway, and spent roughly 30 minutes on the properties of the granite — repeatedly citing a compressive strength of 35,000 pounds per square inch and guaranteeing the press they would "never see a crack" in the stone.
The platform runs about 100 feet wide near the South Portico. Trump's name is carved into the slab he presented, and he signed it with a Sharpie.
Why There's a Helipad
The new VH-92A Patriot presidential helicopter is more powerful than the retiring VH-3D Sea King and has scorched the South Lawn grass on landing, which is what made a dedicated pad necessary.
The project is reported to cost $5 million to $6 million and to be funded by Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, rather than out of the federal budget.
Trump said the finished platform could double as a venue for outdoor events and presidential press conferences.
Timeline
Trump invites reporters onto the South Lawn for an unscheduled tour of the helipad and the new granite driveway, signs the slab, and says the pad is "very close" to being finished and will be operational this month.
the date Trump said he hopes the helipad opens — before Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit.
Reactions
Trump's own framing was enthusiastic and wide-ranging. "I love construction," he said, and his remarks moved from the granite and the grass to his ballroom project, the war with Iran and his relationship with North Korea's Kim Jong-un.
Left-leaning outlets were unimpressed. Raw Story reported critics questioning the grass-and-dictator portion of the remarks and quoted one calling the president a "complete lunatic." AlterNet described the event as a "bizarre tour."
Right-leaning coverage played it straight: The Washington Times reported simply that Trump signed a marble piece destined for the new South Lawn helipad he says will be working this month.
The split in coverage is over the use of the president's time — whether the tour reflects a genuine interest in the building he lives in, or a detour during active foreign policy crises.
What's Next
Trump wants the pad in service before Xi's visit, with September 21 as his stated target.
The helipad is one piece of a larger remake of the grounds that also includes a paved Rose Garden, the new granite driveway, a redesigned Oval Office and a planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
That ballroom remains halted under a federal appeals court order, and it is not yet clear whether the courts will let construction resume before Xi arrives. Also unresolved: how much, if any, taxpayer money ends up funding the helipad beyond Sikorsky's reported contribution.
More
The through-line of Wednesday's appearance was the president as builder. He called reporters out to look at pavement, signed his name to the back of a granite slab, promised the stone would never crack at 35,000 pounds per square inch, and tied it all to a construction program that now covers the driveway, the Rose Garden, the Oval Office, a ballroom and the pad his new helicopter needs because the old one kept burning the lawn.
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