‘Performative bulls***’: Pete Hegseth ridiculed as he continues trying to make Department of War a thing | indy100

@DOWResponse/X

It was back in September that US president Donald Trump – who continues to push for a Nobel Peace Prize – announced the Department of Defense would rebrand to the Department of War, despite such a name change only becoming official with the approval of Congress.

The executive order, signed and issued on 5 September, said the new “secondary title”, as opposed to the current and remaining title, “ensures peace through strength” by demonstrating “our ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our Nation at a moment’s notice, not just to defend”.

“This name sharpens the Department’s focus on our own national interest and our adversaries’ focus on our willingness and availability to wage war to secure what is ours. I have therefore determined that this Department should once again be known as the Department of War and the Secretary should be known as the Secretary of War,” it states.

That hasn’t officially happened yet, and so as defense secretary Pete Hegseth was filmed screwing a Department of War sign to a wall on Thursday, social media users have dismissed the move as “performative bulls***”:

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The Atlantic journalist Tom Nichols said it was “like watching children play-acting”:

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Veterans for Responsible Leadership tweeted sarcastically that the rebrand “only cost the American taxpayer $2 billion”:

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And MeidasTouch editor-in-chief slammed the affixing of a new sign as a “performative clown show”:

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In a video posted by the Department of War’s Rapid Response Twitter/X account, Hegseth said: “We wanted to replace this, because we want everyone who comes through this door to know that we’re deadly serious about the name change of this organisation.”

He concluded by calling on Congress to make the name change permanent next year.

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