Trump Puts His Own Name on U.S. Institute of Peace Headquarters

Donald Trump has emblazoned his name on the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) building in Washington, D.C., amid an ongoing legal dispute over ownership. Independent journalist Marisa Kabas shared images on Bluesky on Wednesday, showing DONALD J. TRUMP prominently displayed on the exterior in bold letters.

Trump is reportedly planning to use the building to host a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo scheduled for Thursday.

Established by Congress in the 1980s as an independent nonprofit, the USIP has recently been at the center of controversy. The letters forming Trumps name appear to have been repurposed from the institutes original signage after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) forcibly took over the building in March.

In May, a federal court blocked that takeover. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the removal of USIPs leadership, replacement with DOGE-affiliated personnel, and transfer of the building to the General Services Administration (GSA) were conducted by leaders without legal authority, declaring these actions null and void.

However, in June, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a stay on Howells decision, allowing the Trump administration to regain control of the building and reinstall its preferred leadership. The appellate judges wrote that the president would face irreparable harm without full executive authority and affirmed that brokering international peace qualifies as an exercise of executive power under the Constitution.

The legal battle continues, but most USIP staff have been dismissed, and the institutes website is currently offline for maintenance. Situated between the Potomac River and the National Mall, the USIP building is valued at around $500 million, explaining the administrations interest in it. Trumps recent move to place his name on the building suggests he is eager to claim personal recognition and prominence there, regardless of the court proceedings.

Author: Noah Whitman