Trump orders contractors to redo White House helipad after weeks of around-the-clock work

President Donald Trump ordered contractors to dismantle and redo weeks of construction on a White House South Lawn helipad after expressing frustration with its appearance and slope. The 100-foot granite presidential seal was removed. Trump wanted a pad level with the horizon, possibly requiring lawn regrading. The $5 million-plus project, funded entirely by defense contractor Lockheed Martin, was on an accelerated timeline to finish before Chinese President Xi Jinping's September visit. The capricious redo adds cost and delays, illustrating Trump's personalization of state property and reliance on corporate funding for White House alterations, raising conflict-of-interest concerns.