On Thursday, President Donald Trump expressed his delight that the United States Institute of Peace has been adorned with his name. This gesture added a personal touch to the ‘brand new’ institute.
Prior to his engagement at the U.S. Institute of Peace with leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the building, which was originally erected in 2011, prominently displayed ‘Donald J. Trump’ in gold lettering on several of its facades.
Just a day before, the State Department revealed that the U.S. Institute of Peace, commonly referred to as USIP, would undergo a ‘renaming,’ which in essence meant the addition of Trump’s name to the institution.
An official post from the State Department highlighted this decision, praising Trump as the ‘greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.’
During his appearance on Thursday, Trump expressed gratitude to Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the recognition.
‘And thank you for putting a certain name on that building. I came, I said, “Boy, that’s beautiful.” That blew up last night. That’s a great honor,’ Trump remarked, directing his thanks to Rubio.
‘I assume you had a lot to do with that,’ the president added, laughing, as Rubio shirked. ‘Just a little bit.’
Trump then said the name change meant more ‘because we are here together for the first time ever in this brand new beautiful building.’
President Donald Trump beamed at a ceremony Thursday at the newly renamed ‘Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace,’ crediting Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was seated in the audience, with the honor
An early target of the Department of Government Efficiency, the U.S. Institute of Peace was renamed the ‘Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace’ on Wednesday, ahead of Trump hosting the leaders of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo at the facility
‘I don’t want to tell you how much it costs because I hear it’s a lot. OK? They don’t build inexpensively here,’ the president added.
USIP was founded by an act of Congress in 1984.
The headquarters, located near the State Department in Washington, D.C.’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood, was completed in 2011.
Since Trump came back into office in January, there’s been a legal battle over the institute’s future after it became an early target of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
In March, there was a physical showdown between DOGE employees, private security, law enforcement, and USIP’s leadership, which saw the old guard tossed out of the building.
Trump replaced USIP’s president and also fired the institute’s board.
The staff have been fired twice as the case winds through the courts.
The building is currently in the hands of the General Services Administration, but that might not last.
The headquarters of the ‘Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace’ was opened in 2011, despite President Donald Trump referring to the building as being ‘brand new’ during his remarks Thursday afternoon
At issue is whether USIP is an independent creation of Congress – and thus outside Trump’s executive authority – or an executive branch organization.
The Trump administration has been arguing it’s the latter.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly called USIP 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,’ she told the Daily Mail in a statement.
‘Congratulations, world!’ she added.
George Foote, a lawyer for USIP’s former leadership and staff, told NPR that the renaming ‘adds insult to injury.’
‘A federal judge has already ruled that the government’s armed takeover was illegal. That judgment is stayed while the government appeals, which is the only reason the government continues to control the building,’ Foote said.
During Thursday’s event, which brought together Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame for a peace deal signing, Trump floated what institution might see a name change next.
The president called out FIFA leader Gianni Infantino, who was seated in the crowd, as he’s in Washington this week for the World Cup draw.
‘And you have a big event on Friday at the Trump-Kennedy Center,’ the president said. ‘Oh, excuse me, the Kennedy Center. And I look forward to seeing you there.’
