President Donald Trump has ordered the South Lawn of the White House to be leveled to accommodate a new helipad currently under construction. According to a report by The Washington Post, construction crews are reshaping the garden's slope to ensure the lawn is flush with the white granite helipad. An unnamed White House official stated that the lawn will be adjusted to meet the structure, which the president has requested be finished by September 24.
The project began in early July after the White House received a new fleet of Sikorsky VH-92A Patriot helicopters in 2024. These aircraft utilize exhaust vents that direct heat downward, which the president said burned the grass during takeoffs and landings. While the new fleet is grounded due to this issue, the president has continued using the previous Marine One fleet. According to Trump, Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, is covering the $6 million cost of the helipad.
Construction was delayed until after a June 14 UFC event held at the White House. Since then, portions of the work have been redone, including the dismantling of a 100-foot-wide presidential seal, because the president determined the lawn's slope prevented the helipad from being level with the horizon. White House spokesman Davis Ingle stated the facility is necessary for safety and to protect the South Lawn grass from engine exhaust.
The helipad is one of several modifications made to the White House grounds since last year. These projects include a proposed $600 million ballroom intended for the East Wing site—currently under Supreme Court review—and the redesign of the Rose Garden into a patio. The total cost of these various renovations is estimated at $927 million. During a tour of the site last Wednesday, Trump said the helipad would be used for state arrivals and outdoor events.
The scale of the reported renovations exceeds $927 million across multiple projects, including the contested $600 million ballroom. For a sense of scale, the $6 million helipad cost alone represents approximately $46,000 for each of the roughly 130 acres of the President's Park. The physical changes are immediate; visitors and staff would notice the removal of established landscaping, the presence of heavy machinery, and the replacement of the East Wing and Rose Garden with new structures and paving.
These modifications have led to legal challenges, specifically regarding the demolition of the East Wing, setting a potential precedent for how much authority a sitting president has to unilaterally alter historic federal property. The outcome of the Supreme Court case regarding the ballroom will clarify these limits. The next major deadline for the helipad project is September 24, the scheduled arrival date of Chinese Premier Xi Jinping.