President Donald Trump inaugurated the newly installed White House helipad Monday, cutting a ceremonial ribbon before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn.
The event marked the first presidential use of the granite landing site, as reported by Breitbart.
Construction workers lined the new pathway leading from the White House residence to the helicopter.
Trump cut the ribbon, walked toward Marine One, and departed as the helipad hosted its inaugural takeoff.
.@POTUS cuts the ribbon and officially opens the new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House pic.twitter.com/BgpCBtBIB8
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 21, 2026
.@POTUS boards Marine One for the first time on the new helipad https://t.co/pW82yejM8h pic.twitter.com/8QbSohtMVN
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 21, 2026
For the very first time, @POTUS departs on Marine One from the South Lawn’s historic new helipad. https://t.co/lkq2BlU3f5 pic.twitter.com/ejG0RBbboJ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 21, 2026
The president left Washington for New York City, where he met with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat.
Trump is also meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron Friday before delivering remarks at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
The new helipad features black and white granite along with the presidential seal. Its polished appearance adds a formal presidential touch to an otherwise practical improvement on the White House grounds.
The landing area was built to accommodate the VH-92A Patriot helicopter.
That aircraft would destroy grass on the White House lawn while landing and taking off, unlike the VH-3D Sea King that has long served as Marine One.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported the plans for installing the helipad while detailing the concerns surrounding the VH-92A Patriot and the White House grass.
The completed project now gives the larger helicopter a dedicated surface for arrivals and departures.
Members of the press were present for Trump’s ribbon-cutting and departure.
However, clear audio of his remarks was not available alongside the White House video feed.
The audio problem came as the five major networks that typically provide video coverage were boycotting presidential events.
The boycott was described as retaliation for Trump revoking White House access from Politico, CNN, and MS NOW on Friday.
That left viewers watching the ceremony without clear accompanying remarks from the president.
The spectacle still delivered the central image, with Trump cutting the ribbon and walking along the new path to Marine One.
Trump had already praised the completed helipad in a Truth Social post last week, calling it “a work of art.” On Monday, he celebrated the first departure from the new landing site with another post.
“We are just leaving the White House Lawn on the maiden voyage from the newly built, and very beautiful, Heliport! I want to thank Jim Taiclet, CEO of Lockheed Martin, who made this valuable contribution to our Country,” Trump wrote.
The president’s message highlighted Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet and credited him for the contribution.
Trump described the departure as a maiden voyage from the newly constructed heliport.
The helipad is the latest in a series of projects Trump has pursued to upgrade the White House grounds since returning to office.
Those projects have touched both the South and North lawns, the Rose Garden, the residence, and the East Wing.
Trump has installed two flagpoles, one on the South Lawn and another on the North Lawn. The flagpoles stand nearly 100 feet tall, giving the grounds another prominent visual addition.
The president also installed a patio in the Rose Garden and restored the columns at the north entrance of the White House residence.
Those improvements accompany the practical addition of the dedicated helicopter landing surface.
Trump has also made significant headway on the White House ballroom in the East Wing.
The helipad’s ribbon cutting adds another completed moment to the broader collection of changes underway across the presidential complex.
Monday’s ceremony placed construction workers along the president’s route and gave the project a formal debut before Marine One lifted off.
With the presidential seal beneath the helicopter and the new path completed, Trump put the helipad into service in unmistakably presidential fashion.
