{"id":5758,"date":"2026-06-30T11:33:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=5758"},"modified":"2026-06-30T11:33:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:33:45","slug":"trump-begins-construction-of-unannounced-white-house-helipad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=5758","title":{"rendered":"Trump begins construction of unannounced White House helipad"},"content":{"rendered":"

The project, funded with a Lockheed Martin donation, is intended to resolve a years-long problem with the new Marine One helicopters: They run the risk of scorching the White House\u2019s grass.<\/strong><\/p>

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President Donald Trump, an avid user of helicopters, is constructing a new helipad on the White House grounds. (Eric Lee\/Pool\/For The Washington Post)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

President Donald Trump has begun construction on a new White House helipad<\/a>, his latest change to the historic grounds, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the project publicly.<\/p>\n

Construction crews worked into the night Monday on the White House\u2019s South Lawn, with the project blocked off by a large fence. The helipad will be located near the South Portico, the traditional site for Marine One, the call sign for whichever helicopter is transporting the president, the people said.<\/p>\n

The new helipad, which the White House has yet to announce, is intended to address a long-running problem: The new generation of Marine One helicopters runs the risk of burning the lawn. The VH-92A Patriot, manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft, have exhaust vents that aim heat down, making grass-scorching likely.<\/p>\n

Lockheed Martin, which owns Sikorsky Aircraft and has spent years trying to develop a solution to the scorching problem, will donate $5 million to help cover the cost of the helipad, according to a company official familiar with the project.<\/p>\n

The Washington Post reported last month that a helipad was under consideration and reported<\/a> earlier this month that the administration was moving forward with the project and would rely on a $5 million donation to help fund it.<\/p>\n

The White House and the Marine Corps, which operates the presidential helicopter program, did not immediately respond to questions about the project, its timing or total cost.<\/p>\n

Trump has faced criticism<\/a> for his recent alterations<\/a> to the White House, such as his plan to build an expansive ballroom, add gilding to the Oval Office and create a \u201cPresidential Walk of Fame\u201d that mocked<\/a> past Democratic presidents. Current and former officials characterized the helipad as a different type of project, driven by security and operational priorities.<\/p>

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Past administrations had also considered building a permanent helipad on the White House grounds, but the idea had been dismissed for several reasons, including that it would alter an iconic image \u2014 the U.S. president boarding a helicopter on the White House\u2019s grassy lawn \u2014 that has persisted across administrations for nearly seven decades. That was not a concern for Trump, who has made significant changes to the White House in his second term, including demolishing the building\u2019s East Wing and paving over the Rose Garden. Trump also has been an avid helicopter user for much of his professional life, dating back to his time as a real estate magnate when he relied on a Trump-branded helicopter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ray L\u2019Heureux, a retired Marine Corps colonel who previously oversaw the Marine Helicopter Squadron One, said it appears the installation of the White House helipad was determined to be operationally necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new [Marine One] program is a costly one and not using the capability is bad optics all around for many reasons,\u201d he said, adding that having helicopters to ferry the U.S. president to and from the White House is \u201cparamount for seamless operations and security concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

L\u2019Heureux added that while he believes changing the aesthetics of the White House\u2019s South Lawn is a negative, he hopes the impact of the helipad can be mitigated \u2014 perhaps by using green concrete, he suggested \u2014 to help it better blend in.<\/p>\n

The VH-92A has been envisioned for more than a decade as the full-time presidential helicopter. The Marine Corps received<\/a> the final VH-92A in its 23-aircraft presidential fleet nearly two years ago at a cost of about $4.95 billion, or about $215 million each, according to a 2019 report<\/a> by the independent Government Accountability Office. But the helicopters have yet to ferry a president to and from the South Lawn.<\/p>\n

Trump has used the new VH-92A Patriot for other travel, such as his recent trip to New York City<\/a> for the NBA Finals, with the new helicopter ferrying the president to a helipad in Manhattan. Trump has continued to rely on older Marine One models when landing in grassy fields, including during his trip to the Group of Seven summit in France earlier this month.<\/p>

Read more Democrats turn to unconventional organizing in an atypical \u2018must-win\u2019 Senate race<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
The Sikorsky VH-92A, the new generation of Marine One helicopter, carried President Trump to Manhattan on June 8 as he headed to the NBA Finals. (Nathan Howard\/Reuters)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The project, funded with a Lockheed Martin donation, is intended to resolve a years-long problem with the new Marine One helicopters: They run the risk of scorching the White House’s grass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump begins construction of unannounced White House helipad - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=5758\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump begins construction of unannounced White House helipad - 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