As we’ve seen, Donald Trump likes to think big, so it’s hardly surprising that when it was time for a new White House helicopter landing spot, he pushed for a massive 100-foot granite helipad capable of landing the biggest choppers out there. On Wednesday, he gave reporters an impromptu look-see:
Trump:
This is going to look incredible from the air and from every place else. And again, this is going to be used for a lot of different celebrations, a lot of different big meetings where, as an example, [Chinese] President X is coming in a little while, a couple of weeks…
President Xi’s coming, other heads of state will come, and we can do this all outside. Nice weather like today.
And this was not a scheduled press conference, but I thought it was so, it's so good what we're doing, people should see.
I love the New York Times’ framing of the project in July: “Trump Is Building a White House Helipad. He Sought No Approvals.” Oh, just put a sock in it, NY Times. You’re getting boring.
It’s time to move into the future:
The helipad would allow Mr. Trump to use the latest generation of Sikorsky helicopters as Marine One on White House grounds — a move multiple administrations had avoided because the new, more powerful helicopters were likely to damage the South Lawn during landing.
The Navy began the search in 2010 for helicopters to replace the two models that have been used to transport the president and vice president for more than four decades — the VH-3D and the VH-60N. It purchased 23 VH-92A helicopters, including two test aircraft, at about $215 million apiece, with a total cost estimated at $5 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office.
There was a setback regarding the slope, but it’s been handled:
The helipad, which is made of black granite that reportedly has a compressive strength of about 25,000–35,000 pounds per square inch, is expected to be fully operational in mid-September. It had a reported cost of $5-6 million and was funded by the helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky because it’s obviously in their best interests.
Trump said he knows why they were willing to pony up the big bucks. “Because they didn't tell us how powerful these helicopters were,” he joked in July, “and they felt a little bit guilty."
At the unscheduled press conference, the president also said the condition of the White House was pitiful, and that as a real estate developer, he was hell-bent on bringing it up to snuff.
People should see, because the White House was in terrible condition. Some of these men worked on the facade of the White House, along with the Department of the Interior, Doug Burgum, who’s been fantastic.
But they worked on the facade of the White House. And if you look at it now, if you would have looked at it six, seven months ago, you would have been embarrassed...
It used to make me sick. And look at how horrible the condition was, where the stone was broken, the columns had big chips in them, a foot long, and it was terrible. And now it's perfect, it's perfection, and I think you can see that pretty much right here, even from this distance you can see it.
Of course, improving things makes liberals mad:
For now, the White House Ballroom project is on hold as it makes its way through the legal system — but the Karens weren’t able to stop the helipad. Satisfying.
https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2026/08/19/thats-a-hell-of-a-pad-trump-unveils-monster-new-wh-helipad-n2205810
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