Trump Announces Name Change for Department of Defense: 'Too Defensive'
President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that he could soon move to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
“Why are we defense?” Trump said in a video posted to X, later adding, “I don’t want to be defense.”
“So it used to be called the Department of War,” Trump said. “And, it had a stronger sound. And as you know, we won World War I. We won World War II. We won everything.”
“Now we have a Department of Defense. We’re defenders,” Trump said.
Referring to the Cabinet officials behind him as he spoke to the media, Trump said, “If you people want to, standing behind me, if you take a little vote, if you want to change it back to what it was when we used to win wars all the time, that’s OK with me. … Department of War, it just sounded better.”
In speaking of the department’s current name, Trump said, “It just sounded bad.”
BREAKING: President Trump says the Department of Defense should be called the Department of War pic.twitter.com/ivjbkPEwgW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 25, 2025
In another video posted to X, Trump was asked about the role of Congress, which would have to approve the name change.
“We’re just going to do it. I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that. But, if we need that, I’m sure Congress will go along,” Trump said.
“You know, that was the name when we won World War I. We won World War II. We won everything. And, just to me, seems like just a much more appropriate,” he said.
Q: “On the Department of War, how do you plan to do that? It requires an act of Congress to rename the Defense Department…”
President Trump: “We’re just going to do it. I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that…Defense is too defensive. We want to be defensive, but we… pic.twitter.com/tfj3jhGVhY
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 25, 2025
“The other is, defense is too defensive. And we want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive, too, if we have to be. So it just sounded to me like a better name.”
Trump said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “has been incredible with the, as I call it, the Department of War,” according to Fox News.
“You know we call it the Department of Defense, but between us, I think we’re going to change the name. You want to know the truth? I think we’re going to have some information on that, maybe soon,” Trump said.
After noting victories when the Defense Department was the War Department, Trump said, “And to me that’s really what it is. Defense is a part of that. But I have a feeling we’re going to be changing.”
“I’m talking to the people. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense,” he said.
Trump indicated the change could take place within the next week or two.
The Department of War was created in 1789. After World War II, a reorganization of America’s military structure took place under President Harry Truman. The Department of Defense officially came into being in 1949, according to The Hill.
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