President Trump has been building a huge new helipad at the White House. But on Tuesday, workers seemed to be reversing course on the project.
As of last week, the helipad appeared to be nearing completion. After starting work in June, workers had built a circle 100 feet in diameter in the middle of the green expanse of the South Lawn. They were starting to add the finishing touches in granite, laying out the lettering of the presidential seal along the edge of the pad.
But then, on Sunday, photos showed that some of the lettering had been removed. Where it had said “Seal of the President of the United States,” only “eal of the” was left in place. By Tuesday, photos of the helipad showed all the granite letters were gone: It was back to what appeared to be bare concrete.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Mr. Trump had ordered contractors to redo weeks of work on the project, unhappy that the helipad — like the South Lawn it sits on — had a noticeable slope.
A White House spokesman, Davis Ingle, declined on Tuesday to say why the helipad’s lettering had been removed, or what would be changed about the project.
Mr. Trump has said he needs a helipad on the South Lawn to accommodate a new kind of helicopter now used to transport him, under the call sign Marine One. The new helicopters, made by Sikorsky, produce engine exhaust so hot that it can scorch the grass.
“For years, the White House has desperately needed a proper Helipad on White House grounds that will allow the President to land safely and also protect the beautiful South Lawn grass from the fierce exhaust fumes of the incredible Marine One,” Mr. Ingle said in a statement.
Lockheed Martin, which owns Sikorsky, has said it is paying to build the helipad as a donation. Mr. Trump said it would cost between $5 million and $6 million.
The change would alter the character of the South Lawn, which has been used for social gatherings and White House events. Mr. Trump did not seek permission to build the helipad from Congress or from the architectural review panels that often vet projects in Washington’s monumental core. The White House has said that “operational upgrades” like this one do not need outside review.
The post Workers Disassemble Parts of Trump’s White House Helipad, Photos Show appeared first on New York Times.
