Trump can’t resist showing off his new White House helipad, even to babies and schoolchildren

The afternoon began as an education event rather than a construction tour. Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon welcomed parents, educators and students to the White House Rose Garden as children returned to classrooms across the country. The administration used the event to promote its education agenda, including school choice and shifting greater authority over education to states and parents.

The guest list stretched considerably below voting age. Babies and toddlers could be spotted throughout the audience alongside older schoolchildren, giving the usually formal White House gathering a family-oriented feel.

Young guests were spotted shielding their faces from the bright afternoon sun as they waited for the President to speak at a back-to-school event. The children would later get an unusual addition to their White House visit when Trump took families to see the new South Lawn helipad under construction.

After delivering his remarks, Trump invited the children and families to join him to see the White House construction. It wasn’t just a distant glimpse from the Rose Garden. Trump led the group toward the South Lawn, where work on the permanent presidential helipad was underway. He appeared perfectly at home playing guide. The president walked through the construction area with McMahon and other members of the group as uniformed personnel and Secret Service agents stood nearby.

The tour also unfolded against the unmistakable backdrop of Trump's broader White House makeover. Children who had arrived for a back-to-school celebration found themselves getting a close-up look at the unfinished presidential landing pad, something most White House visitors will never see in the same state.

Photos from the construction site showed the enormous presidential seal being assembled in stone, complete with the eagle, stars, and other familiar elements of the emblem. Large lifting rigs towered over sections of the design, while tools, equipment and construction materials were scattered across the work zone. The permanent landing area is intended to replace the practice of Marine One repeatedly touching down directly on the South Lawn grass.