President Donald Trump has added nearly $1 million to the price tag of his new helipad as he races to finish the project before a coveted guest arrives.
Construction crews began tearing up the iconic White House South Lawn last week to install a landing pad, the latest chapter in Trump’s unprecedented makeover of the People’s House.
The 80-year-old president appears to be in a hurry to get the $13 million project done.
Clark Construction, the contractor handling the construction of the helipad, was told in a last-minute directive from the government to wrap up work no later than Sept. 17, The Washington Post reports, citing documents related to the project.
The new deadline cut more than a month from the original timeline and drove up the cost by $875,000, according to the Post.
The government’s directive came days after Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the White House on Sept. 24. Trump extended the invitation during his May trip to Beijing, where he groveled to Xi, declaring his “respect” for the authoritarian leader and telling him, “You’re a great leader.”
The South Lawn is traditionally where the White House welcomes its most prestigious foreign visitors.
Photos of the South Lawn taken on Monday show a gaping gray circular patch carved into the once-green lawn, which had already been damaged by the 600-ton arena built there for the UFC cage-fight extravaganza Trump hosted for his birthday in June.
An updated project plan Clark Construction sent to the Trump administration outlined an accelerated construction schedule that included “24-hours, 7-days per week for working hours,” according to the Post.
Emails between Clark Construction and the White House show Trump took a hands-on role in the project, which includes renovations to the South Portico and a portion of the driveway that will be resurfaced with white stone, weighing in on everything from price negotiations to design details, the Post reports.
“POTUS wants to look at the option of a curved curb for the drive,” one email said.
Trump has also tasked Clark Construction with overhauling Lafayette Square and building his White House ballroom and a new East Wing.
The White House and Clark Construction did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump previously rushed to complete another vanity project before the arrival of a VIP guest he holds in high regard, pressing to finish a repaved path to the Oval Office ahead of King Charles III’s White House visit in April, according to the Post.
“We had it completed for King Charles,” Trump said after the British monarch’s visit, adding, “He loved it, and he’s seen some nice stonework.”
During an Oval Office event on Monday, Trump took the opportunity to boast about the helipad, saying, “So now we’re building a helipad, beautiful helipad, and it’s got the seal of the White House on it in granite, in carved granite. It’s really a beautiful thing.”
For decades, presidents have taken Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, but Trump ordered a fleet of new Sikorsky VH-92A Patriot helicopters, which have downward-facing exhaust vents that burn up the grass.
Trump said Monday that the initial solution was to simply keep using the old helicopters just for landing at the White House, and that he came up with the idea for the helipad.
Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky’s parent company, said Monday that it donated $5 million to cover the cost of the helipad.
