Trump changes name of U.S. Institute of Peace to honor himself

December 4 President Donald Trump has officially renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonprofit organization he has been attempting to dismantle, placing his own name prominently on its Washington, D.C., headquarters on the National Mall. Early Wednesday, workers installed large silver letters reading "Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace" in two locations on the building.

Trump's spokesperson, Anna Kelly, confirmed the change in emails to major media outlets, calling the original U.S. Institute of Peace "an overfunded, ineffective organization that spent $50 million annually without producing results." She added, "The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, now named after a president who ended eight wars in under a year, will serve as a symbol of strong leadership and global stability."

The renaming coincides with ongoing legal disputes surrounding the organization's control. Under the Trump administration, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by former adviser Elon Musk, removed nearly all staff, ousted the president of the nonprofit, and replaced most of its 12-member board.

Established by Congress in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, the U.S. Institute of Peace has a long-standing mission of promoting international stability. In May, a federal judge ruled that the personnel changes at the institute were carried out by leaders without legal authority, declaring those actions invalid. However, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell did not issue a restraining order to halt the administration's takeover, citing the organization's hybrid status as a nonprofit operating under some government regulations.

George Foote, representing the former employees, criticized the renaming, calling it "adding insult to injury." He asserted that the original leadership would eventually regain control and restore the institute and its building to their intended statutory purpose.

Author: Grace Ellison