Trump’s Name Added to the United States Institute of Peace
In a move that seems to straddle the line between the bold and the bizarre, President Donald Trump’s name has been affixed to the sign of the United States Institute of Peace’s headquarters in downtown D.C. Yes, you read that right. The name now sits snugly above the existing building name, as reported by the State Department’s X account, which confidently dubbed Trump “the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.” I mean, if that isn’t a glowing title, what is?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio further fueled the fire, proclaiming on X, “President Trump will be remembered by history as the President of Peace. It’s time our State Department display that.” Who knew all it took to earn a peace title was a name on a building?
A Ceremony for Peace
Last Thursday, amidst the pomp and circumstance, Trump held a signing ceremony at the newly renamed building, celebrating a peace agreement between the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This event followed his previous hosting of the two leaders for a peace deal signing back in June. “Thank you for putting a certain name on that building,” Trump said, with all the modesty one could muster. “I said, ‘Boy, that is beautiful.’ That blew up last night … that’s a great honor, it really is, on this building. It’s a great honor.” Cue the confetti!
A Legal Saga
However, this catchy renaming comes at a cost. The agency, which has been wading through legal muck over whether the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency had the right to dismantle it earlier this year, is in quite a pickle. Most of its independent nonpartisan staff was shown the door in March, leaving many scratching their heads as to how an organization designed to foster peace could become embroiled in such chaos.
The institute’s mission has been to promote global peace and resolve conflicts. According to Congress’s research arm, this agency has served as an intermediary among foreign governments and U.S. officials, “working in conflict zones with national, regional, and community level stakeholders to connect top-down and bottom-up initiatives.” Quite the ambitious agenda!
Debunking the Peace Claims
Trump has continuously touted his role in resolving various conflicts during his second term, asserting that these achievements should land him a shiny Nobel Peace Prize. This week, he claimed to have ended eight wars—quite an impressive feat, right? From the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to Pakistan and India, not to mention Israel and Hamas.
Now, while one could phrase it as “ending wars,” opinions vary wildly on whether any actual resolution has taken place. Trump himself has voiced frustrations regarding the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, not to mention the persistent battles between Israel and Hamas amid a ceasefire that feels as stable as a house of cards.
The Courtroom Drama Continues
In June, a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit put the brakes on a lower-court decision that had stopped the Trump administration from dismantling the institute while litigation was still unfolding. “The President faces irreparable harm from not being able to fully exercise his executive powers,” the appeals court panel noted, adding, “Because the Institute exercises substantial executive power, the Government is likely to succeed on its claim that the Board’s removal protections are unconstitutional.” Sounds like quite the courtroom thriller!
While an appeals court hearing was meant to decide the matter this month, it has since been postponed—prolonging the drama. Meanwhile, the Institute of Peace building is now managed by the General Services Administration, leaving us all wondering how diplomatic it actually is to rename institutions amidst such disarray.
An attorney representing former leaders and staff at the institute condemned the name change, stating, “Renaming the USIP building adds insult to injury.” George Foote, the lawyer, expressed concerns about the legality of the government’s actions, pointing out that a federal judge had already deemed the government’s takeover illegal. He firmly asserted, “The rightful owners will ultimately prevail and will restore the U.S. Institute of Peace and the building to their statutory purposes.”
As this saga unfolds, one thing is for sure: the road to peace is never as simple as putting a name on a building.
