President Trump Announces Plans for New Helipad on White House South Lawn, Including Grass
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President Trump said he's building a "beautiful helipad" on the White House South Lawn.
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ABC NewsQuestions are mounting about who is paying for the project. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed his name on one of the slabs of a new multimillion-dollar granite helipad being built on the White House South Lawn as he showcased the ongoing construction project for the first time.
Washington TimesPresident Trump on Wednesday signed a marble piece that will be part of the new South Lawn helipad he says will be operational this month.
Associated PressAt one point on Wednesday, Trump signed the back of one of the granite stones that was marked “Donald Trump 45-47 president” for the occasion. Its front is shaped like an eagle and will be laid into the helipad’s presidential seal once work is completed.
The Guardian USThe tour, during which Trump showed off upgrades such as a new granite driveway and refurbished columns, and expounded at length on newly laid grass, culminated in Trump autographing the back of a stone, inscribed with his name, to go in the center of the ornate new helipad he insists he needs.
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“They said to me, ‘Sir, we’d like to replace the grass at the White House with the highest quality grass and do a real job.’ So, Scotts, I want to thank Scotts Miracle-Gro,” Trump went on. “It’s a very, I think the biggest grass company in the world, somebody said, but it’s very big and very good.”
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Associated PressThe president found time to talk again about one of his favorite subjects of late — grass — and praised at length Scotts-Miracle Gro. The company’s former CEO is a Trump supporter, and it donated $1 million to repair the grass on the White House lawn after it was damaged by Trump’s UFC fight marking his 80th birthday in June and by the helipad construction.
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Trump had some of the construction workers sign the granite, too, and joked about leaving it upside-down so that his signature would be visible for future generations.
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USA Today“This will be here long after we’re gone,” Trump told reporters after signing a piece of the granite during an impromptu tour. “No matter what happens with the world, this is not moving. This will take any kind of shot.”
The Guardian USAt one point in the tour, after Trump boasted about the “flawless granite” he replaced the asphalt driveway with, he told his captive audience of reporters: “We get the best stuff; one thing I know how to do is build.”
Washington TimesMr. Trump also added his signature to the slab’s bottom and invited members of the construction team and military service members to sign it.
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In addition to landing Marine One, the helipad would be used for when foreign dignitaries come for state visits and as a cocktail space ahead of events at the ballroom he's constructing. He has in the past said it could also be used for news conferences.
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The Guardian USThe president also suggested that his new helipad will be dual use, also serving as a second patio. “They can have events on it. They can have people go there for cocktails and then walk to the ballroom after that’s finished,” he said.
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Mr. Trump said the helipad will be ready ahead of the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping in late September.
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ABC NewsA construction worker told the president that the helipad could be completed by "the 21st," though it was not clear if that was of August or September. Trump is slated to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 24.
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Trump talks about grass as he shows off White House renovations – video The US president waxed lyrical about grass being added around the new White House helipad in front of the media. 'You know, grass has a life like humans have a life,' Trump said
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Associated Press Trump gushed for several uninterrupted minutes about granite being laid and said the chopper landing area would leave visiting foreign leaders “very impressed” — including Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is coming next month.
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02 ABC News "It's very exciting, very exciting, and I think it will be here for a long time," Trump told reporters as he gave them a tour and touted the project, which will feature the U.S. seal.
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03 The Guardian US As the US national debt climbed past $40tn for the first time on Wednesday, and the war with Iran he started nearly six months ago dragged on, forcing Americans already struggling to pay the bills to spend more on fuel, Donald Trump led the press corps on a tour of the extensive remodeling of the White House grounds he is personally overseeing in his role as the self-styled “builder-in-chief”.
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04 USA Today "This will be here long after we’re gone," Trump told reporters after signing a piece of the granite. "No matter what happens with the world, this is not moving."
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05 Washington Times He added, “This is the road for the White House, and that was done through donations, including donations from me.”
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06 PBS NewsHour WATCH: Trump previews new White House helipad At times, the president sounded almost like a construction manager, singing the praises of granite over asphalt in painstaking detail and noting for reporters he brought out for the show that the stone could withstand 35,000 pounds per square inch of pressure.
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