There are signs the Trump administration may begin using the helipad at President Donald Trump's Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, for the Commander-in-Chief's transportation needs when he's at the so-called "winter White House."
A helicopter landed Saturday at the estate for the first time since the helipad was completed last month, but it wasn't Marine One, the president's official helicopter.
A white and blue chopper with TRUMP in big red letters on the side flew in Saturday afternoon.
The president wasn't on it. Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago by motorcade around 2:45 p.m., according to Palm Beach police, following an outing Saturday morning at his West Palm Beach golf course Saturday morning.
A fire engine was requested to be on standby by the Secret Service, Palm Beach Fire-Rescue spokesman Sean Baker said.
“We were surprised,” Baker said of the notice from the Secret Service that a helicopter was on its way to the club. “This was not something we knew was coming.”
Baker said the helicopter would be at Mar-a-Lago until Sunday. He said there were no reports of anyone arriving or being picked up by the helicopter on Saturday.
The helipad passed inspection and was ready for use last month, according to Palm Beach officials.
The landing pad is on the western lawn of the 20-acre estate.
The pad will enable Trump to ride in Marine One from the airport to the island without his motorcade tying up traffic. It does not, however, change Secret Service-mandated road closures around Mar-a-Lago, and the Southern Boulevard Bridge will be closed while Marine One is in the air. But the president has yet to use it for his weekend visits.
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