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The United States government has announced that the US Institute of Peace has been renamed in honour of President Donald Trump, just hours before he is due to host the signing of a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The State Department revealed the change on Wednesday through a social media post, describing Trump as the “greatest dealmaker in American history” and confirming that the organisation is now known as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. Images shared online showed Trump’s name mounted prominently above the building’s original signage in Washington.
The move comes only months after the president ordered the dismantling of the body. In February, Trump issued an executive order aimed at shutting down the institute, after which its president was removed from the premises by police and most of its Washington-based employees were dismissed, according to US media reports.
Founded in 1984 under former president Ronald Reagan, the institute had operated as an independent, congressionally funded organisation focused on conflict prevention and international mediation. Over the years, it functioned in many respects like a policy research centre, bringing together specialists in diplomacy, security and global affairs.
The rebranding coincides with Trump’s planned appearance at the peace deal ceremony between Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, an agreement the White House has hailed as a major diplomatic breakthrough.
Trump has frequently presented himself as a global peacemaker and has made no secret of his ambition to one day receive the Nobel Peace Prize, a goal he has referenced repeatedly in public speeches.
