Trump Wants to Restore Pentagon’s Historic Name: ‘I Call It the Department of War’

President Donald Trump has revealed that his administration is considering renaming the Department of Defense back to its historic title.

During a White House meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Trump said he wants to restore the name to the Department of War.

“[Defense Secretary] Pete Hegseth has been incredible with the, as I call it, the Department of War,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

“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.”

The War Department was first created by President George Washington in 1789.

The name remained in place until 1947, when President Harry Truman reorganized the department under the modern title.

“Defense” was formally added in 1949.

Trump contrasted the symbolism of the two titles.

“It used to be called the Department of War, and it had a stronger sound and, as you know, we won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything,” Trump said.

“Now, we have a Department of Defense with defenders.

“I don’t want to be defense only.

“We want defense, but we want offense, too, if that’s okay.

“As Department of War, we won everything. We won everything.

“And I think we’re gonna have to go back to that.”

When a reporter noted that an official renaming would require an act of Congress, Trump pushed back.

The president said that he did not believe it would.

Even so, he added, he expected lawmakers would approve the change if necessary.

WATCH:

.@POTUS "Pete, you started off by saying the Department of Defense. Somehow it didn’t sound good to me…

It used to be called the Department of War…" pic.twitter.com/4FeTsrfYwY

— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) August 25, 2025

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) quickly voiced support and said he would introduce legislation codifying the name change.

I’m drafting a bill to restore the Department of War to its original name—the only name that captures the full range of America’s military capabilitiespic.twitter.com/n1NjoEwBFZ https://t.co/4DeDDQfp3o

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 25, 2025

Trump has floated the idea before.

In June, after U.S. forces bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump joked with reporters that he would temporarily restore the name.

“You know it used to be called Secretary of War,” Trump said.

“Maybe for a couple of weeks, we’ll call it that because we feel like warriors.”

Despite his push for a tougher-sounding title, Trump and his administration continue to emphasize his record as what aides call the “peacemaker-in-chief,” pointing to his efforts in avoiding new wars and negotiating de-escalations abroad since taking office in January.

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