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The U.S. Institute of Peace has been formally rebranded as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, marking the latest step in the president’s months-long effort to dismantle the congressionally created agency.
The name change comes after a turbulent year for the organization, which the Trump administration has sought to shut down while shifting its authority to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The institute has been fighting the move in federal court, but layoffs proceeded after an appeals court stayed a lower-court ruling that temporarily blocked the administration’s plan.
The agency’s website briefly went offline Wednesday morning before returning with promotion for Trump’s upcoming peace-agreement ceremony between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
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White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the renaming, telling Fox News Digital the former institute had been “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,” Kelly said.
She added Trump “ended eight wars in less than a year,” framing the institute’s new name as recognition of his “peace through strength” approach.
“Congratulations, world!” Kelly said.
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Secretary Marco Rubio echoed that sentiment in a post responding to the announcement.
“President Trump will be remembered by history as the President of Peace,” Rubio wrote. “It’s time our State Department display that.”
The U.S. Institute of Peace was created by Congress in 1984 as a nonpartisan organization supporting conflict-prevention and peace-building efforts abroad. The dismantling and rebranding into a Trump-named entity represents one of the most sweeping agency overhauls of Trump’s second term.
Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the administration’s shutdown effort was unlawful. But the ruling was stayed on appeal, clearing the way for terminations to move forward in July as the administration restructured the agency and continued transferring functions elsewhere.
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The institute did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment on the rebranding or the status of its ongoing legal challenge.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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