Trump reveals new White House renovation project: a helipad

President Donald Trump announced Monday that a new, "beautiful" helipad is under construction at the White House, set to be located in the South Lawn.

The single-pad helipad will replace the decades-old landing area on the South Lawn, where presidents and their families have historically been photographed walking to and from Marine One. Construction was noticed by journalists shortly after a stage structure for mixed martial arts events was removed from the lawn.

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Now we are building a helipad, a beautiful helipad, and it has the seal of the White House: in granite, carved granite, it is... really something beautiful.

Trump described the helipad as "really something beautiful," noting it will be made of carved granite and bear the White House seal. He explained the need for the new facility stems from issues with the new Sikorsky presidential helicopters. The powerful downdraft from these aircraft has been so intense that it has blown grass away, with one landing reportedly leaving half the lawn in front of the Oval Office door scattered elsewhere.

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the airflow is so powerful that, actually, the grass is blown away. Landing the new presidential helicopter, half the grass was in front of the main door of the Oval Office. The rest was scattered all over.

According to Trump, Sikorsky has agreed to fund the project, estimated at $5 to $6 million, because the company felt "a little guilty" about the lawn damage. Trump insisted that if Sikorsky was paying, they should "make something beautiful, not just a piece of painted-over cement."

The Washington Post reported that the project's actual cost is closer to $13 million, including renovations to the South Portico and adjacent driveway. The contractor has reportedly been asked to expedite the work to be completed before an upcoming state visit, possibly that of Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. Trump also mentioned ongoing ballroom renovations and plans for a "tremendous military center," as well as potential changes to the North Portico's 200-year-old columns.

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They are about $5 or $6 million; they pay the total cost, and when I heard they were paying the cost, I said, 'let's make something beautiful, not just a piece of painted-over cement.'