Trump speeds up helipad project ahead of Xi visit, adding $875K, records show

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

July 6, 2026 at 11:48 a.m. EDT


The White House sped up construction of a new helipad and related work in anticipation of an “upcoming state visit,” requiring crews to work around-the-clock and driving the cost up by $875,000, according to a contractor’s records obtained by The Washington Post.

The $13 million project also includes work on the nearby South Portico and an adjacent portion of the White House driveway, which will be retopped with white stone, the contracting records show.

Workers have been on-site since last Monday, when construction on the helipad got underway, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the project publicly. A spokesperson for Clark Construction confirmed work had begun on the project and referred questions to the White House, which declined to comment on specific details of the project.

President Donald Trump told reporters Monday morning that he had decided to build a helipad to address a long-running problem: The new generation of helicopters designated for use as Marine One — the call sign for whichever helicopter is transporting the president — runs the risk of burning the lawn.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/06/trump-speeds-up-white-house-helipad-driveway-changes-xi-visit-looms/

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No paywall (gift)

[jls4561]

1. Two questions...

1) Where did he steal the money from this time?

And

2) Why all this fuss to impress a Communist if he’s so against Communism?

[slightlv]

2. His lord and master, Putin, rage screamed he's not bankrupting the country fast enough!

and the election is too close for him... he HAS to have that bunker built so he can lock himself away in it. He won't be dragged away from white house.

[Ray Bruns]

3. Yay! Another Trump fiasco!

[Bayard]

4. Is burning the lawn a real thing?

Helicopters have been landing there forever.

[Bengus81]

5. That's what I was wondering. Can't that commie walk a few hundred feet

to the WH after landing?

[riversedge]

8. guests usually arrive by Limo from local hotels.

[EX500rider]

7. New model has different heat output/downdraft apparently

The Marine One helicopter fleet has been upgraded to the new Sikorsky VH-92A Patriot.
This next-generation aircraft officially replaced the decades-old VH-3D Sea King and VH-60N models, and has actively been in service for presidential transport.

In 2024, Sikorsky completed a new fleet of helicopters for use as Marine One, and President Joe Biden took the first flight aboard a modern VH-92A helicopter on his way to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago — the same day the military announced Sikorsky delivered the last of the 23 new aircraft.

But Trump said the new aircraft were more powerful than Vietnam War-era choppers that long had been used as Marine One, and that the modern ones were too potent to land on the White House lawn without damaging the grass.

"It’s not that the grass gets discolored — it gets ripped out,” the president said.

Indeed, the new aircraft has indeed seen limited service because their exhaust vents aim heat downward, scorching the White House South Lawn.

The Marines and Sikorsky have spent years trying to find a solution to the problem, which has meant that the new helicopters haven't been used at the White House. A 2026 Marine Corps aviation plan said the older VH-3Ds will remain in service through the end of this year.

[angryxyouth]

6. $13mil + $875'000 for helicopter pad!!!

I don’t know what he’s doing to the portico, but he is resurfacing the driveways with white stone. What the hell costs this much. This country is almost $40 trillion in debt and we’re over spending millions on this kind of bullshit. A 100’ dia helicopter pad should cost less than a half a million dollars.