Trump added his name to the US Institute of Peace building while fighting the organization in court

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after President Donald Trump and planted the president’s name on the organization’s headquarters despite an ongoing fight over control of the institute.

It is the latest development in a seesaw legal battle over who controls the US Institute of Peace, a nonprofit think tank focused on peace initiatives. It was an early target of the government’s efficiency department this year.

Watch live: Trump hosts the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to sign an agreement on peace and minerals important to the United States

The State Department said Wednesday it had renamed the organization the Donald J. Trump Peace Institute “to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.” The new name can be seen on the building near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Trump has spent months publicly lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize despite being passed over for this year’s award, arguing that he had played a role in easing a series of conflicts around the world. But Trump also ordered attacks on suspected drug ships off the coast of Venezuela, and repeatedly threatened possible attacks on land, which would be an act of war against that country.

The takeover of the Peace Institute was also far from peaceful, as its management took over the independent entity and ousted its board before it actually affixed its name to the building.

“The United States Institute of Peace was once a bloated and useless entity that spent $50 million a year without achieving any peace,” said White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly. “Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute for Peace, beautifully and appropriately named after a president who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can achieve for global stability.”

She added: “Congratulations, world!”

George Foote, an attorney for the institute’s former leadership and staff, said the renaming “makes matters worse.”

“A federal judge has already ruled that the government’s armed takeover of the building was illegal. That ruling has been put on hold until the government appeals, and that is the only reason the government continues to control the building,” Foote said.

Read more: After the employees were fired and DOGE employees arrived at headquarters, the USIP’s board of directors filed a lawsuit

Since March, the headquarters have changed hands several times in court proceedings related to the DOGE acquisition. A final decision on her fate is still pending in a federal appeals court.

USIP has maintained that the organization is an independent creation of Congress and outside the executive authority of the President. The administration says it is an organization subordinate to the executive branch.

After Trump fired the institute’s board of directors in the spring, employees were also fired and the building was turned over to the General Services Administration.

A federal district court invalidated the action in May, returning the headquarters to the hands of USIP leadership. But that measure was overturned weeks later by a federal appeals court.

At this point the employees were fired twice and the building came into possession of the GSA.

Read more: Peace Institute regains headquarters after court win over DOGE

The building is expected to be the backdrop for the signing of the peace agreement Thursday between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. High-level officials from the African Union, Angola, Burundi, Kenya, Togo, Qatar, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates are also expected to attend the signing, according to Yolande Makolo, a senior Kagame advisor.

USIP’s website remained unchanged Wednesday night, but its headline read, “President Donald J. Trump signs historic peace agreement at USIP headquarters,” followed by a write-up of the Congo-Rwanda agreement that Trump was overseeing at the institute on Thursday.

Congress established the Institute of Peace in the 1980s. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law in 1985. It was described as an independent, non-profit think tank funded by Congress, whose mission is to work to promote peace and prevent and end conflicts while operating outside normal channels such as the State Department. It was operating in 26 conflict zones, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mali and Burkina Faso, when DOGE halted the operation.

There is also widespread speculation that Trump will receive a new Peace Prize from FIFA on the sidelines of the World Cup draw, which will be held in Washington on Friday.

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Will Weissert contributed to this report.