Trump, who aspires to a Nobel Peace Prize, has just issued his 200th executive order to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War.

He has been announcing this for some time, and although his actual legal authority to make such a unilateral decision remains unclear, what he has once again made abundantly explicit are his belligerent pretensions, his emphasis on violence and force—very much in line with that image of himself dressed as Superman, posted by the official White House X account.

While that earlier novelty—so outlandish that many dismissed it as fake news—sparked ridicule and mockery, this latest “initiative” is no laughing matter. It ratifies, this time by means of an official name, the stance and projection of the president who commands the world’s most powerful army.

He underscored the move himself, stating: “With that name we won the First World War and we won the Second World War. (…) We won everything, and then we decided to go woke and change the name to the Department of Defense. So we’re going back to the Department of War. I think it’s a much more appropriate name, especially in light of the world we’re in.”

“Woke” is a term that, within much of conservative discourse, no longer designates an awareness of inequality but instead serves to delegitimize and label alleged progressive “excesses” and extreme political correctness.

Later, the president added that the term “Department of Defense” did not reflect reality but rather “political correctness.”

It was in fact the U.S. Department of War that dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and the department carried that name until two years later, when it was changed to the Department of Defense.

“This is not just about renaming but about restoring,” noted Pete Hegseth, now U.S. Secretary of War, who also explained the purpose of the rebaptism: “To restore the warrior ethos, victory as the ultimate goal, intentionality in the use of force so that the Department of War fights decisively, not in endless conflicts.”

This latest turn by Trump is far from a semantic issue; it is a full-fledged statement of principles already evidenced in concrete actions—most recently, the mobilization of troops to the southern Caribbean, the largest U.S. military deployment in that area since World War II, and the attack on an alleged Venezuelan narco-boat.

And this occurs “coincidentally” just days after China showcased a formidable military parade to the world, and shortly after the productive meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping, held during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit on August 31 and September 1 in Tianjin, China.

The Tianjin Declaration points, among other matters, to reinforcing the security of SCO member states in the face of Western threats and alliances led by Trump. SCO member countries account for nearly half the world’s population and represent a considerable share of global GDP.

No, this change of name is neither coincidental nor casual. It aims to project a powerful, belligerent, hegemonic image that disregards laws, international organizations, and even the most basic respect for human dignity. Yet Trump forgets that the great figures of history have never been—and will never be—revered for promoting war, but for building and defending peace.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff