WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s name has been added to the sign outside the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., where he is expected to host the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday for the signing of a U.S.-brokered peace deal.
The move comes after the Trump administration’s attempted takeover of the Institute of Peace earlier this year.
The administration removed staff and installed its own leadership before a federal judge declared those actions unlawful, calling the effort a “gross usurpation of power.” The nonprofit organization, which is funded by the U.S. Congress, has been operating in a holding pattern ever since.
When asked about the decision to emblazon the building with the president’s name, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly suggested the U.S. Institute of Peace had been renamed for the president.
“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. Congratulations, world!” she said.
The claim that Trump has ended eight wars this year is widely disputed. Much work remains before most of the conflicts the president claims to have ended, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, can actually be considered resolved.
The institute did not respond to a request for comment.
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group staged a lightning advance in eastern Congo this year, seizing the region’s two largest cities and raising fears of a wider war.
A U.S.-brokered peace deal was reached in June.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Michael Perry)
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