President Trump turned a routine Wednesday at the White House into a construction-site tour, leading reporters onto the South Lawn to see the rebuilt granite helipad up close.

He walked the press onto the landing area, explained what had changed, praised the crew building it and made sure the cameras caught the work underway.

The Associated Press reported that Trump spent several minutes explaining why granite was chosen over asphalt. He told reporters the stone can withstand 35,000 pounds of pressure per square inch and said it was built to take a beating without showing a mark.

The president also said the upgraded landing area would impress visiting foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected at the White House next month. The tour came with construction still moving around him and the crew standing nearby.

Then Trump walked straight over to the workers and gave them the credit in front of the press.

ADVERTISEMENT

That moment made the scene. The men who poured the hours into the project were not treated like background props; the president stopped, shook hands and publicly thanked them for the job they had done.

ABC News previously reported that the granite pad was commissioned to accommodate the newer, more powerful Marine One helicopters. Trump said Sikorsky Aircraft, the Lockheed Martin subsidiary that builds the presidential helicopters, would pay for the project rather than taxpayers.

The old setup meant the presidential helicopter landed on the South Lawn itself. The new permanent pad is designed to handle the aircraft while protecting the grass from the force of repeated landings.

Trump saved one more flourish for the cameras: he signed a large piece of granite that is set to become part of the project.

It was vintage Trump: inspect the work personally, talk through the details, recognize the people who built it and leave a signature behind.

Washington can argue about nearly anything. But the image from the South Lawn was simple: a president proud of a major White House upgrade and a construction crew getting its moment in the spotlight.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.