Executive Branch

Trump Proposes Renaming Department of Defense to Its Original Name

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, standing behind the president, said the name change is on the way.
Trump Proposes Renaming Department of Defense to Its Original Name
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (2nd-R) speaks as (L-R) Vice President JD Vance, President Donald Trump, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem look on after Trump signed an executive order that aims to end cashless bail, in the Oval Office on Aug. 25, 2025. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Jackson Richman
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President Donald Trump proposed on Aug. 25 that his administration rename the Department of Defense to its previous name, the Department of War.

“Pete, you started off by saying ’the Department of Defense.' And somehow it didn’t sound good to me,” Trump said in the Oval Office, speaking to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after signing executive orders on fighting crime, including in Washington.

Jackson Richman
Jackson Richman
Author
Jackson Richman is a Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times. In addition to Washington politics, he covers the intersection of politics and sports/sports and culture. He previously was a writer at Mediaite and Washington correspondent at Jewish News Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Examiner. He is an alum of George Washington University.
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