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Trump’s Private Helicopter On New Mar-A-Lago Helipad Brings Taxpayer Backlash On Cost, Rumored Price [Photos]

By Paula Mooney
Published on: 13:49 PST, Apr 9, 2017

As seen in the above photo, a private helicopter belonging to President Donald Trump was photographed sitting on the newly-paved helipad at Mar-a-Lago, on Sunday, April 9, in Palm Beach, Florida. Photos and videos of the Trump helicopter appearing on the landscape on Sunday has caused a bunch of buzz online, especially as people try to discover if the newly-paved helipad at Mar-a-Lago was created at a cost to taxpayers.

According to the Associated Press, the Trump helicopter was spotted on the helipad for a few hours prior to it leaving. The publication notes that President Trump isn’t allowed to fly on Trump’s private helicopter, based on Secret Service protocols, but that President Trump wasn’t on the helicopter. Further information about the purpose of the Trump helicopter being on the helipad at Mar-a-Lago was sought, but the White House did not release further details about why the Trump helicopter flew to Mar-a-Lago and landed on the new helipad.

It was known that President Trump was reportedly building a helipad for Marine One at Mar-a-Lago, as reported by Page Six. The purpose was reportedly to assist President Trump’s visits to Mar-a-Lago without having to disrupt traffic too much and cause too many road closures along the way.

As reported by the Palm Beach Post, it was the first time a helicopter landed a Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club after the helipad was constructed. The fact that it wasn’t Marine One is causing questions, and has folks wondering if the huge blue and white helicopter with TRUMP in big red letters on the side landed on the new helipad as some sort of a test run prior to Marine One landing on the helipad.

An initial flight happened on Saturday afternoon, but President Trump got his ride back to Mar-a-Lago via his presidential motorcade at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time, after Mr. Trump played golf.

The Secret Service did request a fire engine be available from the Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Department, which took the officials by surprise, since they did not know the Trump helicopter was on the way to Mar-a-Lago. The new helipad had already gone through an inspection process and passed and was ready to be used in March.

Located on the western lawn of the 20-acre Mar-a-Lago, the helipad should make it easier for President Trump to travel from the airport to the island where Mar-a-Lago is situated by easing traffic. As seen in the below video, Trump’s helicopter brought a big reaction from those who were able to spot it flying in to Mar-a-Lago.

According to the New York Daily News, President Trump won’t be able to ride on the Trump helicopter, since it is not one of the required aircrafts that Mr. Trump is limited to flying on: Air Force One, a jumbo jet, or Marine One, a helicopter. As seen in the below photo, orange cones around the circle where the helipad was built can be seen.

Besides the Sikorsky S-76 Trump helicopter, which President Trump owns two of, folks are concerned about the cost of the helipad at Mar-a-Lago, and if taxpayers footed the bill.

Comments like those below regarding President Trump’s new helipad are being posted online. Although the cost of the helipad could not be readily found via reliable news organizations, that hasn’t stopped people from publishing posts about the rumored cost of the helipad’s price.

“Oh look! We, the taxpayers, bought Trump a new helipad…I’d prefer to just put my money in the shredder instead.”

“Did our taxes pay for that helipad? If so he needs to get his Trump insignia helicopter off our pad! Using our taxes to promote his brand!”

[Featured Images by Alex Brandon/AP Images]

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