President Donald Trump had his name permanently carved into the stone of the new helipad that he hopes will remain on the White House grounds for centuries to come.
The president, 80, took reporters on a tour outside the White House on Wednesday to show off the latest project, one of multiple construction schemes he has launched throughout the grounds of the people’s house.
During the tour, Trump signed his name on the back of the stone that will be inserted into the helipad being constructed on the South Lawn. The stone also has ‘Donald J. Trump 45-47 President" carved into it.
“This is the back of the piece, and they flip it, and they put it down, so nobody will see that unless in 400, 500 years they start taking it apart,” Trump said.
The president has prominently slapped his name on a series of landmarks across Washington, D.C., but his efforts have faced multiple legal challenges, like the judge demanding he remove his name from the Kennedy Center amid an ongoing legal battle.
Critics have also demanded that Trump’s name be removed when he leaves office, reversing much of the makeover work of his second term. Putting his name on the back of the project could help it stick around a little longer.
“Probably nobody will see it, I guess. Actually, I hope nobody ever sees it because there’s only one reason they’ll see it, but I think I’d like to sign it,” Trump said.
Trump’s effort to preserve his name at the White House is a far cry from how he’s handled preserving other aspects of the historic building.
Last year, he bulldozed the entire East Wing of the people’s house for his ballroom, shocking preservationists and Americans alike.
He’s also ripped up the grass of the Rose Garden, festooned gold decorations throughout the Oval Office and added a Presidential Walk of Fame that includes tacky gold lettering and insults of past presidents he does not like, among other projects.
According to The Washington Post analysis, the Trump administration is set to spend at least $900 million on his construction projects at the White House, a much higher figure than was previously reported.
Construction could be heard as Trump wandered across the White House grounds and bragged about the helipad being the “highest level.”
Before taking reporters out to the helipad, he rambled that they were using donated black granite for the new helipad, while repeatedly complaining that the White House had been in terrible condition.
Trump previously argued that the helipad was needed for the powerful new Marine One helicopters, which would burn up the grass. He said on Wednesday that the granite came from a quarry in California.
Trump claimed the helipad had been wanted for many years, but he also previously took credit for the idea of adding a helipad to solve the issue of the new Sikorsky VH-92A Patriot helicopters landing on the South Lawn.
He noted during the tour that not only was the helipad being added, but the drive outside the White House had also been redone.
As the president walked over to the helipad, he said the grass was being replaced and complained that the lawn was in bad shape. He did not mention it was largely destroyed by the UFC fight held there for his birthday in June.
At one point, the president even gave a shoutout to the company that provided the new grass, claiming it had been donated.
“It was given free of charge by Scotts Miracle-Gro. Scotts. And Scotts is a great, a great company,” Trump said. “They actually contributed to my campaign. I must be honest, you’ll figure that one out.”
