WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump gave reporters an update on Aug. 19 on several ongoing infrastructure projects at the White House, including changes to the driveway and construction of a new helipad.
Here are the highlights from his impromptu tour with reporters.
The New Helipad
Construction is underway for a 100-foot-diameter granite helipad on the White House South Lawn. The project is estimated to cost up to $6 million and is being funded by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary.
According to Trump, the helipad is designed to accommodate larger and more powerful Marine One helicopters without damaging the lawn.
“Now with the helipad, we won’t have any problem with the grass,” he told reporters. “It can land any helicopter in the world.”
The president said the helipad surface will display the presidential seal, hand-carved into black granite.
He praised the construction workers as “brilliant artists.”
According to Trump, the helipad could also be used for official state arrivals and events.
During the tour, Trump signed a slab of granite featuring the eagle of the United States, and invited several construction workers to sign it as well.
Trump said the project was delayed by a week and a half because he asked the construction workers to redo the slope.
“It’s now dead flat,” Trump said. “I didn’t want to have the slope that they had. They had a slope that would have been like for a waterfall, not for rain.”
The White House Driveway
Before showing the helipad, Trump unveiled the new White House driveway for the first time. The old asphalt has been replaced with special white granite from California.
“This granite has a million-year life. It’s a very strong stone,” Trump said. “It will never break. It will never leak.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the construction site of a helipad on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 19, 2026. (Jim Watson/AFP)
“This was all black asphalt that was in terrible shape, and asphalt only lasts for a season,” the president said.
He noted that the project was funded by donations from various people, including Trump himself.
South Lawn Grass
During the tour, Trump said that the South Lawn grass is being replaced and it will look beautiful in a few weeks.
“Grass has a life like humans have a life,” Trump said. “This grass is the highest quality.”
He said the new grass was donated to the White House by the ScottsMiracle-Gro Company.
Trump recently also said he plans to replant grass in public parks across the nation’s capital.
The White House Facade
Trump also mentioned ongoing renovations to the White House facade, which he said was in “very bad shape.”
“It had never been touched before, other than some paint slopped on it,” he said.
“Look at the stone, look at the columns, how perfect they are,” he said, highlighting the changes.
Trump said that much of the facade dates back to 1792, when construction of the White House began.
“There haven’t been that many additions,” he said.
“They had literally chunks of stone out of them missing, and now they’re really in flawless condition.”
The Ballroom
Trump also talked about the ballroom project, explaining that it changed direction when the Pentagon proposed building a military complex.
“The military came to see me, and they said, ‘Sir, we have an opportunity to do something incredible here, and we’ve been trying to do it for 100 years, but we’ve never had an opportunity like that.’”
Trump said he approved the military’s plan after reviewing the proposal.
Construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom began in September 2025. The project required demolishing the East Wing, which Trump said was too small and in poor shape.
On Aug. 14, the administration asked the Supreme Court to let construction of the ballroom resume after lower courts ruled that the project requires congressional approval.
Asked what he would do if the Supreme Court rules against it, Trump said: “I hope that doesn’t happen. I can’t imagine it happening.
“We had a great ruling from a very highly respected judge, as you know, and hopefully, the Supreme Court will agree with that ruling,” he said.
“This will be the greatest military complex/ballroom anywhere in the world.”
The underground structure, he said, extends five stories or about 65 feet, but he declined to discuss the details, citing security concerns.
He also criticized the lawsuit, stating that it would reveal sensitive information to the public and America’s enemies.
Matthew Vadum contributed to this report.
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