President Trump’s name has been added to the front of the U.S. Institute of Peace building in Washington, marking a major and controversial change to the institution’s public identity.
NBC News reported that the sign outside the building now reads “Donald J. Trump,” even as the institute remains involved in an ongoing legal battle. The organization was one of the entities targeted earlier this year by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which attempted to take control of its operations.
The renaming comes just as Trump prepares to welcome the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo for a peace agreement signing ceremony. The United States helped negotiate the deal earlier this year.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly issued a statement praising the change. She said the old Institute of Peace had been “a bloated, useless entity” that cost taxpayers tens of millions each year with few results. She called the new “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace” a more fitting symbol for a president who, she said, helped end multiple wars within months.
DOGE’s attempted takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace was blocked in May when U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled the move unlawful. Howell said Trump and his aides used “brute force” to seize the building even after being warned that the institute is not part of the executive branch.
George Foote, an attorney for former institute leaders and staff, criticized the decision to add Trump’s name while the legal fight continues. He said renaming the building only makes the situation worse, noting that a federal judge already found the takeover illegal. The ruling is currently on hold while the government appeals, which is why it still controls the building.
Foote said he believes the previous leadership will eventually regain authority and return the institute to its original mission.
Trump has frequently highlighted his diplomatic work during his second term. He has pointed to peace agreements involving Israel and Hamas, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Thailand and Cambodia, and Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as evidence of his international accomplishments.