US Institute of Peace renamed amid scandal

This was reported by the State Department on the social network X.

This morning, the State Department renamed the former Institute of Peace to reflect the greatest negotiator in our nation’s history. Welcome to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The best is yet to come,” the post read, accompanied by a photo of the facade with the new name.

As CNN notes, Trump's name appeared on a sign at the USIP headquarters in Washington ahead of the signing ceremony of a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is scheduled to take place on December 4.

The Trump administration has effectively closed the institute, which works on conflict resolution and was created by Congress in 1984. The administration's budget request for the next fiscal year called for the elimination of federal funding for USIP.

In March, DOGE officials attempted to force their way into the building, only to return with police. The USIP staff were fired in July. The institute sued over the decision, but the US government remains in control of the building while the court hears an appeal.

"Renaming the USIP building only makes the situation worse," said George Foote, a lawyer for former USIP management and employees.

A former USIP employee said of Trump: "It's quite ironic that he gave his name to the institution he himself destroyed."

At the same time, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly defended the decision, claiming that USIP "was once a bloated, worthless organization that spent $50 million a year without delivering peace."