Because Donald and Melania Trump did not want to be annoyed by the noise and construction, the Biden Administration has been forced to rush into construction recommended security upgrades to the South Lawn of the White House that’s left the exterior of the building shielded in construction barriers.
CNN reports that the upgrades require excavation from the upper main driveway to the lower part of the driveway, across acres of lawn. The plans were developed by the US Secret Service, the National Park Service and the White House to implement the first major security upgrade since the early days of the Obama Administration, which undertook upgrades on the north side of the White House.
Donald Trump reportedly didn’t want to deal with the noise and the requirement that Marine One would have to land on the Ellipse rather than on the South Lawn, which allows a shorter walk from the White House to the helicopter. (Biden must now take a motorcade to the Ellipse to board Marine One, a security headache for the Secret Service.) Melania Trump objected because it would disrupt the aesthetics on the back lawn, where she expected to host various events. The Trumps, therefore, opted to “pass it to the next guy,” said one of the people familiar with the Trumps’ instructions.