US Institute of Peace Renamed for Trump After Administrations

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has been renamed to honor President Donald Trump despite his administration’s earlier efforts to weaken the organization. This change comes just before a peace agreement signing ceremony involving Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo at the USIP’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. The State Department promoted this new naming as a reflection of what they termed Trump’s status as “the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.”

Prior to the renaming, Trump’s administration effectively dismantled the USIP, which was established by Congress in 1984 to facilitate conflict resolution. The administration proposed eliminating federal funding for the institute in its budget request and took actions to control its assets, leading to legal disputes. In a controversial move, they dismissed most of the USIP’s board, resulting in employee terminations and claims of an illegal armed takeover of the organization.

George Foote, representing former USIP leadership, criticized the renaming as “adding insult to injury,” highlighting that a federal judge deemed the government’s takeover illegal. He asserted that rightful ownership will eventually restore the USIP to its original mission. Another former official remarked on the irony of Trump attaching his name to an institution he had significantly harmed.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the name change, brandishing USIP as a “bloated, useless entity” prior to Trump’s involvement. In her statement, she lauded the new title as a symbol of effective leadership that purportedly led to significant global peace efforts during Trump’s presidency.

The controversial rename raises pressing questions about the integrity and future of the USIP, as those opposing Trump’s actions emphasize the dissonance between the institute’s mission and its current status under the administration’s influence.

(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/03/politics/us-institute-of-peace-renamed-trump)