It was the 4 p.m. Eastern hour on a Friday, not the time one might find the president in the Oval Office taking questions from reporters in the last administration.
But President Trump used the time to sign his 200th executive order – this one changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, its name until the mid-20th century.
Trump, who said the original change to “Department of Defense” was “wokey,” was accompanying by his new “secretary of war,” Pete Hegseth, who said the change is in keeping with the “warrior ethos” that has come to the for at the Pentagon since January.
The executive order calls for the reference to change, but an official change of the federal department would have to go through Congress.
WATCH:
Trump signs an Executive Order to officially rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War pic.twitter.com/jtHDi0XFun
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 5, 2025
Just minutes after the change, the War Department posted a promotional video from its new X account:
? FOLLOW: @DeptofWar & @SecWar https://t.co/6TBqYLgIWQ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 5, 2025