Trump blasted for Pentagon name change that will make US a 'laughing stock'
US President Donald Trump is preparing to sign another wild executive order, only this time it's to rename one of the most important political departments in a move that people have branded both ridiculous and worrying for the future.
Name changes have become a rather consistent feature of Donald Trump's second term as president, as he previously forced through renaming orders for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaskan mountain Denali.
The new 'Gulf of America' and 'Mount McKinley', respectively, are now controversially available for Americans to observe on Google Maps, yet the president has recently announced a new name change that some have claimed would make the country a 'laughing stock'.
As reported by the BBC, President Trump has revealed plans to rename the historic Department of Defense, evoking memories of a key government area that has been defunct for nearly eight decades.
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What is the Department of Defense being renamed to?
A new executive order is being planned to rename the Department of Defense to the 'Department of War', with the overall aim to "project strength and resolve" from the US government.
Any keen historians will note that this isn't a completely new department, as the War Department was first established as part of the US government in 1789, and continued to exist until 1947 before being replaced with the Department of Defense.
The new executive order that pushes through this change outlines: "The name 'Department of War' conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to 'Department of Defense', which emphasizes only defensive capabilities."
This does somewhat contradict Trump's previous statements where he has praised his ability to achieve peace in foreign conflicts, and could perhaps be a sign of things to come.
Speaking to Fox News, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attempted to justify the controversial name change:
"We won WWI, and we won WWII, not with the Department of Defense, but with a War Department, and with the Department of War. As the president has said, we're not just defense, we're offense."
That is a rather strange remark to make for a country that's not currently explicitly involved in any global conflict, but he continued to emphasize the importance that this name change would bring.
"We've reestablished at the Department the warrior ethos. We want warriors, folks that understand how to exact lethality on the enemy. We don't want endless contingencies and just playing defense.
"We think words and names and titles matter. So, we're working with the White House and the president on it. Stand by."
How have people reacted to the name change?
While it might 'just' be a name change, what this switch up signifies has left many across politics and social media both stunned and anxious for the future.
"This is so stupid and it's going to make us a laughing stock in front of both our allies and our enemies," wrote one user on X, with another chiming in to add that renaming it "because it is more intimidating to our adversaries is stupid."
New Jersey Democratic Senator Andy Kim also branded the idea 'childish', proclaiming that "Americans want to prevent wars, not tout them."
Many are also worried that this could signal plans for a major conflict in the future, as why would you proclaim your strength in wars if you didn't intend to enter one again.
"You don't pick that name without something planned," wrote one commenter on Reddit, adding that we should "say goodbye to another generation."