Trump renames U.S. Institute of Peace after himself

Dec. 4 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace — a non-profit organization he’s seeking to effectively dismantle — after himself.

Workers added his name in large, silver letters to the institute’s Washington, D.C., building on the National Mall early Wednesday. The building now reads “Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace” in two places.

Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for Trump, confirmed the renaming in emails to The New York Times and The Washington Post. She described the U.S. Institute of Peace as “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 said.

The name change comes amid a legal battle over the very existence of the organization. The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, run by former adviser Elon Musk, effectively dismantled the institute, ousting the non-profit’s president, nearly all staff and most of its 12-member board.

Congress created the USIP in 1984 with legislation signed by then-President Ronald Reagan. In May, a federal judge said the replacement of personnel at the USIP was “effectuated by illegally installed leaders who lacked legal authority to take these actions, which must therefore be declared null and vote.”

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, however, declined to issue a restraining order to stop the Trump administration’s takeover of the USIP, citing its “complicated” qualities as a non-governmental organization that must adhere to certain rules of government agencies.

George Foote, the lawyer representing the former employees of the USIP, said the renaming of the building “adds insult to injury.”

“The rightful owners will ultimately prevail and will restore the U.S. Institute of Peace and the building to their statutory purposes,” he said.