President Trump is discussing plans to install a helipad at the White House to prevent powerful new Marine One helicopters from damaging the South Lawn, according to people familiar with the plans.
The helipad would be the latest renovation to the historic White House grounds since Trump began his second term.
The president has paved over the Rose Garden, installed a black granite walkway along the West Wing Colonnade, redesigned the Oval Office, placed two large American flagpoles at the front and back of the White House and demolished the East Wing to make way for his 90,000 square-foot ballroom.
Trump, a former real-estate developer, has been involved in every detail of his construction and renovation projects, and has discussed the design of the helipad with associates.
The helipad would prevent damage to the South Lawn’s grass, the people said, noting that the new VH-92A Patriot is much more powerful than decades-old VH-3D Sea King it is replacing. Both helicopters are made by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky. It is unclear when the installation would take place.
The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Officials have known since at least 2018 that the VH-92A engines and auxiliary power unit could damage the lawn. The VH-3D lands on small boards placed underneath its wheels shortly before touching down.
The exhaust on the new helicopters can burn up the ground, especially in hot and dry conditions, the people said. The VH-92A can carry 6,200 pounds more than the VH-3D.
Despite making its public debut at Trump’s 2019 Independence Day military parade, the VH-92A didn’t fly a president until August 2024 when it transported then-President Joe Biden while he was in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. The helicopter has flown Trump numerous times during trips outside of the Washington area. But neither Trump nor Biden have flown on the helicopter to or from the South Lawn.
The decision to build the helipad comes after years of unsuccessfully looking for other ways to modify the VH-92A to land at the White House. Once the VH-92A can fly all of the presidential missions, the Marine Corps will be able to retire its fleet of VH-3D helicopters that has flown every U.S. president since Gerald Ford.
The delay in being able to use the VH-92A to fly the president to and from the White House has forced the Marine Corps to fly the VH-3D longer than planned. The Marine Corps had planned on retiring the VH-3D this year, according to Pentagon budget documents, but now plans to continue flying it through at least 2027.
The decision to exclusively use the VH-92A will be “an event-driven goal, not a time-driven one,” a Marine Corps spokesman said.
Trump is expected to have a helipad installed at his Mar-a-Lago residence this summer while the club is closed for the season.
The Palm Beach, Fla., town council is considering a proposal that would allow the helipad to stay beyond Trump’s presidency following a request from the U.S. Secret Service, which argued that it should remain in place for as long as a protectee resides there for security purposes.
Write to Meridith McGraw at Meridith.McGraw@WSJ.com and Marcus Weisgerber at marcus.weisgerber@wsj.com
