The wheels are in motion on President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House helipad.
The 80-year-old president’s plans to install a landing pad on the South Lawn are taking shape thanks to private donations, according to The Atlantic.
Budget documents viewed by the outlet showed that the project will be funded by a $5 million donation from Lockheed Martin, the defense contractor making a new model of Marine One for Trump.
The landing pad will allow the new Marine One to take off without scorching the grass. Though the South Lawn has seen the presidential helicopter come and go over the years, newer models have exhaust vents that aim down, making them more likely to burn the grass underneath.
The White House and Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Last month, after Trump’s helipad ambitions were first revealed by The Wall Street Journal, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast that “President Trump has continued to make improvements at the White House and all around D.C. to benefit future presidents and Americans.”
The White House wants the helipad to be 100 feet in diameter with a presidential seal in black granite, The New York Times reported in May, to accommodate his choppers that cost a hefty $215 million each—more than 10 times the price of the old fleet.
A retired military officer earlier told The Washington Post that a White House helipad is “not a Trump wild idea.” Marine One has a long history of burning grass, but previous administrations have been hesitant to alter the iconic aesthetic of the White House campus to address the problem.
“No one wanted to invest the political capital and time in this until they had ruled out other technical mitigation options,” the retired officer said.
Ray L’Heureux, a former commander of Marine Helicopter Squadron One, told The Post that it would be “stupid from an aesthetic standpoint” to install a helipad on the South Lawn because it is “historic” and the “back yard of the White House.”
“I do think that nothing there is broken—so don’t mess with it,” he said, arguing in favor of alternative solutions such as a temporary landing pad.
But Trump has shown little interest in maintaining the White House’s aesthetic. Since returning to office last year, Trump has torn down the historic East Wing to make way for his gaudy White House ballroom, dipped the Oval Office in gold, paved over the Rose Garden, and even installed a UFC arena on the South Lawn for his 80th birthday bash.
Trump’s renovations haven’t stopped within the confines of the White House campus. Aside from working on his “Arc de Trump,” the president has also been busy swatting away scandals surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has been plagued with algae and peeling paint.
And while he waits for his new White House helipad, Trump has been occupied with a landing pad in his beloved Mar-a-Lago.
Earlier this month, the president bragged on his Truth Social account that a concrete helipad at his Palm Beach, Florida club would be allowed to remain beyond the end of his presidency.
