Washington, DC [US], September 16 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump shared a photograph on Monday showcasing the newly upgraded White House helipad, characterising the infrastructure as “a work of art” following months of construction work carried out throughout the summer.
“It is magnificently made of carved granite in shades of Black and White. It is truly a work of art and, even the Trump Haters are saying, ‘Wow, that’s really good,’” the president wrote on Truth Social.
In the online statement, the head of state indicated that the undertaking concluded “ahead of schedule, under budget and, again, though expensive, was a Gift to America!”
Trump detailed that construction crews substituted the existing asphalt situated at the principal entry point of the executive mansion with white granite, which he claimed will guarantee “no cracks, or defacement, EVER!”
“It is an Honor, ‘in my spare time,’ to bring back the Beauty and Magnificence of the White House, to levels it has never seen before, not even after its construction in 1792,” the president stated. “Like our Nation, under the Dumocrats, was in decline, the White House was a badly maintained ‘dump.’ Now, it is a Palace!”
The commentary accompanied an image displaying the landing facility featuring a monochrome presidential insignia, engineered to span 100 feet in breadth and constructed using four-inch granite slabs sourced from a quarry located in California.
Operations commenced following the dismantling of a combat sports arena from the executive residence's South Lawn, which had been erected to host the “Freedom 250 UFC” gala commemorating Trump's 80th birthday in June, according to reporting by The Hill.
During July, the president disclosed that Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin division responsible for manufacturing the Marine One fleet, was “paying the full cost” associated with the refurbishment.
Initial projections placed the expenditure at USD 6 million, though an investigative piece by The Washington Post suggested that outlays might have escalated as construction progressed due to Trump supposedly instructing contractors to reconstruct sections following initial dissatisfaction.
Whilst renovation efforts proceeded on the landing zone, the president utilised the Ellipse, situated south of the executive lawns, for Marine One arrivals, an arrangement that encountered logistical difficulties when the presidential aircraft approached within one mile of a commercial airliner, The Hill reported.
An initial assessment issued by the National Transportation Safety Board concluded “that there was not adequate line-of-sight to ensure communications between the radio transmitter/receiver sight and The Ellipse,” as reported by The Hill.
The landing zone upgrade represents the most recent structural overhaul spearheaded by the president within the federal capital, following previous alterations undertaken during his current tenure, including the controversial demolition of the East Wing to facilitate construction of a large-scale banquet hall, which drew criticism from former presidential staff members. (ANI)
A look at Trump's new helipad
