Trump Signs His Name on New White House Helipad
The president toured the multimillion-dollar granite helipad under construction on the South Lawn, as questions persist over who is funding it.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed his name on a granite slab of a new helipad being built on the White House South Lawn, giving reporters their first tour of the multimillion-dollar project.
"It's very exciting, very exciting, and I think it will be here for a long time," Trump said, touting the pad, which will feature the U.S. seal.
Questions remain about who is paying for the construction and whether taxpayers could bear any of the cost. Trump announced the helipad in July, saying helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky would cover the roughly $5 million to $6 million price tag. On Wednesday, he said Sikorsky was still footing much of the bill, along with "donations from numerous people, including me."
A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky's parent company, told ABC News last month that its contribution was "made to the National Park Service" and that its work with the administration followed "rigorous ethics and compliance standards."
Trump said his signature, along with those of project leaders, will be inscribed on the back of the eagle's head on the U.S. seal — a spot that won't be visible once construction is finished. ABC News has asked the White House Historical Association whether any past president has similarly inscribed his name on a White House grounds project.
The president said the pad is being built to accommodate newer Marine One helicopters, which have not been used for South Lawn landings because they burn the grass. "This is a helipad at the highest level. It can land any helicopter in the world," he said.
A construction worker told Trump the project could be finished by "the 21st," though it wasn't clear if that meant August or September. Trump is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24 and said he hoped the pad would be ready by then. He also acknowledged the project was delayed after he asked crews to raise the pad to account for a slope in the lawn, adding, "Sorry to take an extra week and a half, but lifting it up was one of the best things we've ever done."
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