President Donald Trump is eager to be recognized as a peacemaker. His administration obliged Wednesday by renaming the building that houses the U.S. Institute of Peace in downtown D.C.
“Donald J. Trump” is now emblazoned in several places on what has often been dubbed the Peace building, according to eyewitnesses and photos obtained by The Washington Post. A White House official said the building would now be known as the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.”
The move comes after the president’s work to settle global conflicts this year and ahead of his plan to host leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign a White House-brokered peace deal between the two countries. That signing is expected to take place at the USIP on Thursday.
Trump is also widely expected on Friday to receive FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize, a new award created to honor individuals who have “helped to unite people all over the world in peace,” at the nearby Kennedy Center.
The administration’s decision to add Trump’s name to the USIP building comes after the president issued an executive order in February seeking to dismantle the organization, an independent nonprofit group created by Congress. The USIP’s president was removed from the headquarters by law enforcement, and the Trump administration fired nearly all of the USIP’s D.C.-based staff. Some diplomats and former staff say they are unsure what the building is used for now.
The USIP and members of its board sued the Trump administration, arguing that the president does not have the authority to fire the group’s leadership or staff, because the USIP was created by Congress. A federal district judge ruled in May that Trump had acted unlawfully, but the order is stayed pending appeal.
George Foote, who serves as the attorney for former USIP leadership and staff, said in a statement that renaming the building “adds insult to injury” as the legal battle over the organization plays out.
“The rightful owners will ultimately prevail and will restore the U.S. Institute of Peace and the building to their statutory purposes,” Foote said.
The building’s new name was first reported by independent journalist Marisa Kabas.
Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, wrote in an email Wednesday that the USIP was “once a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace.”
“Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, which is both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability,” Kelly added.
A person familiar with the decision said the addition of Trump’s name to the building had been “in the works for quite a while.” The move was intended to recognize Trump as a “global peacemaker,” said another person familiar with the move. Both people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.
Trump has tried to craft a reputation as an international peacemaker this term, touting the peace agreement he helped negotiate between Israel and Hamas over the war in Gaza and promising to bring peace between Ukraine and Russia as he openly lobbied for a Nobel Peace Prize. Other global leaders and advocacy groups, including some seeking to curry favor with the president, have praised his work to settle conflicts and called for him to be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize and other awards.
“Hard to believe, right? Did you ever think I was going to be called a peacemaker?” Trump said in an exchange with a reporter in October. “I did.”
John Hudson contributed to this report.
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