Donald Trump announced this Monday the construction of a granite helipad on the South Lawn of the White House to allow for the landing of the new fleet of Marine One presidential helicopters.
Construction crews were already working on the site when the president formalized the measure. He ruled out painted concrete and requested that the platform have the presidential seal carved into the stone. “It has the White House seal engraved, carved in granite. It is really beautiful,” he declared from the Oval Office.
The project will cost between five and six million dollars, funded by Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, a defense equipment manufacturer. Trump stated that the company decided to fund the work because it “felt a little guilty” about having delivered a fleet that was too powerful to operate from the presidential residence. In a statement, Lockheed confirmed that the contribution was channeled to the Trust for the National Mall, the National Park Service’s non-profit organization, and that the operation was carried out in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Construction work in the South Garden of the White House, in Washington, on July 1, 2026.
The 23 VH-92A Patriot helicopters delivered in 2024 have a technical issue that has limited their use at the White House: their exhaust outlets direct heat downward and damage the lawn. “When you land on the grass, it doesn’t just discolor the grass, it rips it out,” Trump explained.
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The Marine Corps and the manufacturer have been looking for a solution for years without results. The platform will also allow for the retirement of models with more than four decades of service and can be used for outdoor press conferences.
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Attempts to renew the presidential fleet date back to the early 2000s, when George W. Bush promoted a program that the Barack Obama administration canceled due to cost overruns. Obama relaunched the process, although new technical setbacks delayed it until May 2014, when the military awarded the company the contract to build the VH-92A Patriot.
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The heliport joins other renovations promoted by Trump at the White House, such as the Rose Garden reform and the demolition of the East Wing.
Then-President Joe Biden took the first flight on one of these aircraft to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the same day the military announced the receipt of the final aircraft in the series.
According to Captain Jacob M. Sugg, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps, the squadron currently operates with nine 1970s-era VH-3D Sea Kings, six VH-60Ns incorporated in the late 1980s, and ten VH-92A Patriots. When asked about the ownership of the White House, the spokesperson did not address the issue.
The helipad is in addition to a series of renovations that Trump has promoted at the presidential residence. Previous works include the remodeling of the Rose Garden with a patio that evokes his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida; the installation of plaques on the colonnade for a Presidential Walk of Fame; the renovation of the Palm Room; and the demolition of the East Wing to build a ballroom.
