President Trump on Monday revealed his plans for a helipad at the White House to accommodate the new Marine One, saying the advanced helicopter will ruin the grass on the South Lawn.
It was the first time Mr. Trump confirmed the helipad project, which had been rumored for months.
The Trump administration is currently 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.
“They’re about two and a half times more powerful than the old ones and when you land on the grass … the grass gets ripped out,” Mr. Trump said at an Oval Office event. “So they landed the helicopter and half of the grass was sitting in front of the Oval Office. The rest of it was scattered all over.”
Mr. Trump said Sikorsky will pay for the new helipad, estimated to cost about $6 million, because it underestimated the helicopters’ power and “felt a little bit guilty.”
The helipad, which will be made of granite and feature the White House seal, Mr. Trump said, adding that it could be used for outside events, including presidential press conferences.
“So by doing this, we solved the problem, and we’ll finally be able to retire 45-year-old helicopters,” he said.
Mr, Trump has made some substantial — and controversial — renovations to the White House in his second term.
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 both 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 putting a gold sign saying “Oval Office” outside the Oval Office and adding a “Hall of Presidents” on the White House colonnade that includes some unflattering remarks about recent Democratic presidents.
