Trump unveils helipad as networks protest

A light drizzle fell on the South Lawn as Trump used oversized gold scissors to cut a red, white and blue ribbon.

He exchanged handshakes with officials and construction crew members in green smocks and hardhats, attempting to project normalcy.

Trump did not answer reporters’ shouted questions before boarding Marine One for a flight to New York.

He later wrote on his social media site that they were leaving on the ‘maiden voyage’ from the ‘newly built, and very beautiful, Heliport.’

MS Now, Politico, and CNN have sued after Trump banned them from covering the White House on Friday.

CNN normally participates in a five-network rotation providing pooled White House footage.

When CNN was barred from its scheduled turn on Monday, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News collectively skipped the helipad ceremony.

Trump has claimed the helipad, with granite he says will last a million years, will impress Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrives Wednesday.

He has focused on impressing Xi while calling Democrats communists ahead of midterm elections.

The media access dispute has overshadowed both the helipad and Xi’s visit.

Constitutional questions over press access also eclipsed Trump’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump has emphasized building projects during his second term amid ongoing war in Iran and sinking approval ratings.

He claimed the helipad was privately funded at up to $6 million, though exact costs are unclear due to additional ground work.

Trump credited Lockheed Martin’s CEO, saying Sikorsky Aircraft would pay for the helipad because it built the new helicopters.

Earlier claims of private funding for White House projects have sometimes been followed by requests for public money.

The East Wing was demolished for a $400 million ballroom Trump said would be privately funded, though the administration later sought $1 billion from Congress.