'Trump Institute of Peace’: Trump puts his name on US Peace Institute after trying to shut it down

• Trump administration renames US Institute of Peace after the president amid ongoing legal battle.

In a highly controversial move, the Trump administration has renamed the building housing the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace and installed new signage bearing the president's name.

This action comes amidst an ongoing, convoluted legal battle over the administration's authority to seize control of the Congressionally-funded, independent think tank.

The State Department announced the renaming late Wednesday, just hours before President Trump was scheduled to host the signing of a U.S.-brokered peace agreement between the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the facility.

Administration Defends Renaming as Recognition of Peacemaking

The State Department justified the change as a tribute to President Trump, posting on X (formerly Twitter) that the rebranding was intended "to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history."

Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, defended the move in an emailed statement, asserting that the organization was once "a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace." "Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace... will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability," Kelly said, claiming the President "ended eight wars in less than a year," a claim that remains widely disputed.

"Adds Insult to Injury": Legal Fight Continues

The rebranding has intensified a months-long legal and political struggle for control of the USIP, an institution created by Congress in 1984 to promote peace and prevent conflict globally. The USIP has long maintained that, as an independent body, it is not subject to executive branch authority. The administration, through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had attempted to take control of the institute earlier this year, ousting its board and staff.

George Foote, a lawyer for the former USIP leadership and staff, condemned the renaming, stating it "adds insult to injury" while the legal proceedings are still active. "A federal judge has already ruled that the government's armed takeover was illegal," Foote noted, adding that the building remains under government control only because that judgment is currently stayed pending an appeal in federal court. The headquarters, situated in a prime location overlooking the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial, has been passed between original USIP leadership and the General Services Administration (GSA) multiple times due to the legal back-and-forth.

The new signage marks the first time the institute has been rededicated under a sitting president's name. The final decision on the USIP's fate and control rests with the federal appeals court.