Emergency legal action has been taken to stop former President Donald Trump from adding his name to the exterior of the U.S. Institute of Peace. The former board members of the Institute, who were removed from their positions, have filed a motion in court to block the change. They argue that allowing a sitting president to inscribe his name on the building would damage the nonprofit’s mission of promoting peace and independence, which is largely funded by private sources. This legal challenge comes after a court ruling in May that required the removal of Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The court determined that only Congress has the authority to rename government buildings, a power not held by the president. Trump had previously ordered the dissolution of the U.S. Institute of Peace in February 2025 as part of a larger effort to cut federal spending. The controversy over naming government buildings after a sitting president is not new. In recent years, similar legal battles have emerged, often centered on whether such actions violate constitutional or legislative boundaries. The U.S. Institute of Peace, established in 1981, is a nonpartisan organization that works to resolve conflicts and promote peace worldwide, and its independence is considered essential to its function. Public opinion on the issue appears to be largely against the practice. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that about 70 percent of Americans oppose a sitting president from naming government buildings after themselves. This sentiment has fueled the legal efforts to prevent Trump’s name from being added to the Institute of Peace’s facade, reinforcing the argument that such actions could undermine the institution’s credibility and independence.