• President Donald Trump showed reporters the White House helipad under construction on the South Lawn on Wednesday, autographing a piece of the granite.
  • Trump said the granite could withstand 35,000 pounds per square inch of pressure and would leave visiting foreign leaders “very impressed,” including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
  • Trump disclosed for the first time that he has replaced the White House’s diplomatic entrance walkway and a portion of the South Lawn driveway with white granite.
  • Trump is pushing to complete the ballroom project despite legal challenges, according to the AP.

President autographs granite, says Xi will be impressed

President Donald Trump played White House tour guide on Wednesday, showing reporters the helipad under construction on the South Lawn, autographing a piece of the granite and promoting the ballroom project he is rushing to complete despite legal challenges, according to the Associated Press.

Trump spoke for several uninterrupted minutes about granite being installed at the helicopter landing area, telling reporters he brought out for the tour that the stone could withstand 35,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. He said the helipad would leave visiting foreign leaders “very impressed,” including Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is coming next month.

“That’s stone that, if you took a hammer and you started hammering right now — all day long — you wouldn’t see a mark on it, literally, that’s the kind of power it is,” Trump said, at times straining to be heard over the thrum of ongoing construction behind him.

Trump compared granite favorably to asphalt in detail, arguing that using “really powerful concrete” instead would have supported “just a tiny fraction of that in terms of strength.”

Trump revealed for the first time during the tour that he has replaced the walkway from the White House’s diplomatic entrance along with a portion of the asphalt driveway around the South Lawn with white granite. “One thing I know how to do is build,” he said, characterizing asphalt as “not appropriate for a great house, or a great place like the White House.”

The visit came as the ballroom project faces ongoing legal challenges, which Trump is pushing to complete despite, according to the AP.