Trump says he could rename Department of Defense to Department of War soon

President Trump indicated on Monday that he could move soon to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

“Pete Hegseth has been incredible with the, as I call it, the Department of War. You know, we call it the Department of Defense, but between us, I think we’re going to change the name,” Trump said during a meeting with South Korea’s president.

“You want to know the truth, I think we’re going to have some information on that maybe soon,” he added.

Trump argued it was called the Department of War during U.S. victories in World War I and World War II.

“Defense is a part of that,” Trump said. “But I have a feeling we’re going to be changing. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War.”

The Department of War was established by George Washington in 1789. It existed until 1947, when it was reorganized by then-President Harry Truman. It was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949.

Trump has previously referred to Hegseth as “Secretary of War.” The president has also touted that military recruitment numbers are up during his second term so far.

Despite the floated name change, Trump has emphasized his efforts to broker ceasefires and truces in global conflicts, pointing to successes in fights between India and Pakistan and Armenia and Azerbaijan, among others.

He has also sought to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine as many of his supporters have called for him to be awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was the most recent officeholder to make this suggestion, though Johnson was lauding Trump’s anti-crime crackdown in Washington, D.C.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.