President Donald Trump used the White House’s newly installed helipad for the first time on Monday, cutting a ribbon on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One for the structure’s inaugural takeoff, according to Breitbart News.
Construction workers lined the newly built path leading from the White House residence to the presidential helicopter as Trump made his way toward the aircraft. He departed for New York City, where his schedule includes a meeting with Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), a Friday sit-down with French President Emmanuel Macron, and remarks before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
A granite pad built for a heavier helicopter
The helipad is constructed of black-and-white granite and features the presidential seal. It is designed to accommodate the VH-92A Patriot, which, unlike the long-serving VH-3D Sea King that has traditionally flown as Marine One, would damage the White House grass during landings and takeoffs. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the plans to install a helipad, citing that concern as a driving factor.
Trump has framed the project as an aesthetic addition to the executive residence. In a Truth Social post last week, he described the helipad as “a work of art.” On Monday, he celebrated the first flight from the new structure.
“We are just leaving the White House Lawn on the maiden voyage from the newly built, and very beautiful, Heliport! I want to thank Jim Taiclet, CEO of Lockheed Martin, who made this valuable contribution to our Country,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Networks boycott as press watches in silence
Members of the press were present for Monday’s ribbon-cutting, but the White House video feed of the event arrived without clear audio of the president’s remarks. The five major networks that ordinarily provide pooled video coverage are boycotting presidential events in retaliation for Trump revoking White House access from Politico, CNN, and MS NOW on Friday.
The standoff has left the White House relying on its own footage for moments like Monday’s ceremony, with the audio gap leaving viewers without a clear record of what the president said as he marked the helipad’s debut. The access dispute marks the latest flashpoint between the administration and the national press corps, coming just days before Trump is set to address the United Nations General Assembly.
Part of a broader string of White House upgrades
The helipad is the newest in a series of changes Trump has made to the White House grounds since returning to office. According to Breitbart, those projects include two flagpoles standing nearly 100 feet tall on the South and North lawns, a patio in the Rose Garden, restoration of the columns at the north entrance of the residence, and significant progress on a White House ballroom in the East Wing.
Monday’s ceremony puts the helipad into active service less than a week after the network boycott began, and it places the new landing zone at the center of the president’s travel routine going forward. The granite surface bearing the presidential seal now serves as the launch point for Marine One flights from the South Lawn, replacing grass as the landing surface for the heavier Patriot aircraft.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/21/trump-white-house-helipad-first-time-ribbon-cutting/