Trump Accuses Harry Truman of Going ‘Woke’ Over Department of War Name Change

President Donald Trump accused those responsible for renaming the Department of War of going “woke.”

In recent days, Trump has repeated the popular misconception that the Department of War was renamed the Department of Defense after World War II. However, the Department of War, which until 1947 referred to the U.S. Army, was actually renamed to the Department of the Army under the newly created Department of Defense. The move was one of several provisions in the 1947 National Security Act, which was passed by Congress before President Harry Truman signed it in July of that year.

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order announcing that “this Department should once again be known as the Department of War and the Secretary should be known as the Secretary of War.” However, statutorily, only Congress can change the name of the department.