Trump’s Name Appears on U.S. Institute of Peace Headquarters Amid Ongoing Court Battle

WASHINGTON — The administration has rebranded the U.S. Institute of Peace, placing President Donald J. Trump’s name on the organization’s headquarters even as courts continue to dispute who controls the institute.

The move is the latest chapter in a back-and-forth legal fight over the independent, Congress-created think tank focused on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Earlier this year the group became a target of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which moved to assert control over the institute’s leadership and property.

On Wednesday, State Department officials announced the institute had been renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, and new signage bearing the president’s name was installed on the building near the State Department.

President Trump has spent months publicly pressing his case for a Nobel Peace Prize, asserting credit for easing certain international tensions. At the same time, his administration has ordered strikes on vessels suspected of smuggling drugs off Venezuela’s coast and has warned of potential land strikes — actions critics say could be interpreted as escalatory.

The transfer of leadership and property was contested and abrupt. The administration removed the institute’s board in the spring, the staff was subsequently let go, and the building was placed under the custody of the General Services Administration (GSA).

Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said the institute was previously “a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace,” and added that the new name was “both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year.” She concluded, “Congratulations, world!”

George Foote, an attorney representing the ousted institute leadership and staff, called the renaming “adds insult to injury.” He noted that a federal judge had ruled the government’s takeover illegal; that ruling is currently stayed while the government appeals, which is why federal authorities remain in control of the building.

Since March the headquarters has swapped hands in successive court rulings related to the DOGE takeover. In May a federal district court overturned the administration’s actions and returned control to USIP leadership; a federal appeals court later reversed that decision. A final resolution is pending before a federal appeals court.

USIP maintains it was created by Congress as an independent institution outside presidential executive authority. The administration contends the institute should be treated as an executive-branch organization. Employees have been terminated twice during the dispute, and the building remains in GSA custody.

Despite the legal uncertainty, the headquarters is slated to host a high-profile signing: a peace agreement between Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame. Yolande Makolo, a senior adviser to Kagame, said senior representatives from the African Union, Angola, Burundi, Kenya, Togo, Qatar, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates are expected to attend.

The institute’s website showed a top notice announcing, “President Donald J. Trump to Sign Historic Peace Agreement at USIP Headquarters,” and coverage of the Congo–Rwanda deal the administration said it would oversee at the institute.

Congress created the United States Institute of Peace in the 1980s; President Ronald Reagan signed the establishing legislation into law in 1985. Funded by Congress but established as an independent, nonprofit institution, USIP’s mission has been to promote peace, prevent and resolve conflicts, and operate outside standard diplomatic channels. Before the takeover, USIP was active in more than two dozen conflict zones, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mali and Burkina Faso.

There has also been unverified speculation in some quarters that President Trump might receive an additional peace-related honor around the World Cup draw in Washington; those reports have not been confirmed.

Contributors: Aamer Madhani and Will Weissert.