Trump Begins Construction of New Marine One Helipad on White House Lawn

U.S. President Donald Trump has begun construction of a new helipad for Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to prevent damage to the White House lawn.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on June 30 (local time), citing multiple anonymous sources, that the White House restricted access to the area around the South Lawn starting the previous evening and commenced construction on the helipad.

The White House is building the new helipad because the new Marine One, the VH-92A Patriot, is more powerful than older models and is designed with downward-facing exhaust ports, which can scorch the lawn during takeoff and landing.

Because of this, President Trump has used the White House lawn for takeoffs and landings when traveling on older Marine One helicopters, but has had to use facilities such as the Manhattan heliport when flying on the new model.

Funding for the construction of the new Marine One helipad will be provided by Lockheed Martin, the U.S. defense contractor that owns Sikorsky, the helicopter's manufacturer.

A company official stated that Lockheed Martin has agreed to donate 5 million dollars (approximately 7.75 billion KRW) for this purpose.

The WP reported that plans to build a permanent helipad on the White House grounds had been considered in the past but never materialized.

This was due to concerns that such a move could damage the symbolic image of the president boarding a helicopter on the White House lawn, a tradition that has continued for over 70 years.

However, since entering his second term, President Trump has proceeded with renovations without hesitation, including plans to demolish the White House East Wing to build a banquet hall.

He has also added gold-leaf decorations to the Oval Office and created a "Presidential Hall of Fame" in the West Wing, which includes photos mocking former President Joe Biden.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.