The President Donald Trump administration has rebranded the U.S. Institute of Peace to include his own name after seizing control of the agency and slashing its funding.
On Wednesday, the State Department said it renamed the organization to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace to “reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.” The new name could be seen on its building, which is near the State Department.
“President Trump will be remembered by history as the President of Peace,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X. “It’s time our State Department display that.”
Trump has spent months openly lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize even though he was passed over for this year’s installment — arguing he had a hand in easing a series of conflicts around the world. But Trump has also ordered strikes on suspected drug vessels off the coast of Venezuela and repeatedly threatened that attacks on land could be coming, which would be an act of war against that country.
The takeover of the Peace Institute was also anything but peaceful, with his administration seizing the independent entity and ousting its board before actually affixing his name to the building.
Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said: “The United States Institute of Peace was once a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace. Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, which is both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability.”
She added, “Congratulations, world!”
The name change comes amid a protracted legal struggle to determine who controls the agency, which was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 to promote conflict resolution. While financed by Congress, the institute operates independently and owns its headquarters, according to CNN.