Trump plans helipad on White House's front lawn for Marine One
President Donald Trump is considering a helipad on the South Lawn of the White House, which would prevent Marine One helicopters from burning the grass.
Despite new VH-92A Patriot helicopters available to fly the president to and from the White House, they have yet to do so because the exhaust can burn the grass, which is why it has flown presidents only when they are away from the executive mansion.
The helipad would be yet another renovation to the White House by Trump and may be built as soon as early summer, It’s an idea that the Marine Corps, which flies the helicopters, has been considering for years, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and CNN reported.
Trump paved over the grass in the White House Rose Garden and had the East Wing torn down to be replaced with a ballroom, in addition to other flourishes throughout the property.
One retired military officer told the Post that the helipad concept is not “a wild Trump idea,” but a helipad had been resisted because of the historic nature of the residence and that there was a lack desire to invest the “political capital” under other technical mitigation concepts had been ruled out.
Sikorsky, owned by Lockheed Martin, was contracted in 2019 to build the variant to its S-92A helicopter to replace the VH-3D, which entered service in 1978, and the VH60, which entered service in 1987.
The new helicopters were expected to go into use in 2020 -- six years after the Obama administration chose to develop them for executive use in 2014 -- but burning the lawn has remained a concern.
The larger aircraft, the Navy said at the time, would increase performance and payload, including crew coordination systems, new communications systems and improved availability and maintainability.
The Journal reported that officials have known the engine exhaust system and auxiliary power unit on the new helicopters could damage the White House lawn but have looked for an option that does not include paving over part of the mansion’s back yard.
The current Marine One helicopters land on small boards placed on the lawn before they land.
As a result of worries for the lawn, the helicopter was not seen ferrying a president until former President Joe Biden traveled in one in Chicago in 2024.
Trump also used the helicopters when his travel schedule does not include leaving or returning to the White House since he re-entered office in 2025.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 10:27 AM.