Donald Trump is not known for his commitment to conservation. But a new plan under discussion has shown that in the midst of a stalemate with Iran, a burgeoning row with Nato over the withdrawal of US forces from Poland and an irate US public fretting over the cost of living in a midterm election year, the President is increasingly focused on the next tranche of White House upgrades.
Trump is now reportedly considering installing a new helipad at the White House, supposedly to keep presidential helicopters from damaging the South Lawn’s grass.
This innovation might even have something useful to it. The Marine One helicopters being used to ferry the President around are powerful Sikorsky/Lockheed machines – prone to occasionally scorching the pristine lawns in front of the White House. A helipad would enable lighter crafts to land.
Shorts
But it’s hard to create a discreet helipad, and Trump, since he announced his first run for the presidency in 2015 by descending in a gilded escalator in Trump Tower, has been leaning heavily into the oligarchic architecture playbook.
