State Department Slaps Trump’s Name on U.S. Institute of Peace Building and Renames It After Him

(Matthew Lee/Evan Vucci/AP photos)

The State Department announced on Wednesday that it placed President Donald Trump’s name on the building that houses the United States Institute of Peace.

“This morning, the State Department renamed the former Institute of Peace to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history,” the department tweeted. “Welcome to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The best is yet to come.”

The Washington Post later reported that Trump’s name “is now emblazoned in several places on what has often been dubbed the Peace building, according to eyewitnesses and photos.”

Trump has openly lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize while falsely claiming he has ended more than a half-dozen wars. The president has also ordered an ongoing bombing campaign of boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, allegedly carrying drugs and “narcoterrorists.” During just the first five months of his second term, the U.S. carried out more than 500 bombings in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.

In February, Trump signed an executive order aiming to disband USIP, a nonprofit created in 1984 by Congress, which mandated that the organization operate independently. The “Department of Government Efficiency,” then helmed by Elon Musk, fired USIP staff and gained access to its computer system after a standoff with employees.

Subsequently, A federal judge ruled that the administration overstepped its authority by eliminating USIP.

“Outside of Article II, he has little constitutional authority to act at all,” Judge Beryl Howell wrote in her decision, which is stayed pending appeal. “The President’s efforts here to take over an organization outside of those bounds, contrary to statute established by Congress and by acts of force and threat using local and federal law enforcement officers, represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better.”

The attorney for former USIP staff told the Post that the addition of Trump’s name to the building “adds insult to injury.”