Sen. Rand Paul promised to lead congressional opposition against any attempt the Trump administration makes to formally rename the Department of Defense the “Department of War.”
On Tuesday morning, the Kentucky Republican told CNN’s Manu Raju that he is against the name change.
“I think it sends a bad signal to the world,” said Paul, 62. “In a world with nuclear weapons, I think glorifying war… is not something I’m in favor of.”
On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that gave the Department of Defense the secondary title of “Department of War.” Though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has boasted on social media about the new name, the change is largely an aesthetic one. It would take congressional approval to change the name of the Department of Defense, and Paul said he would lead opposition to the name change if the topic came to the Senate floor.
Paul’s criticism of the administration’s comes after he blasted Vice President JD Vance for telling a critic he “doesn’t give a s--t” about allegations the U.S. military committed a war crime for its strike on an alleged drug boat that killed 11 people.
On Saturday, Vance posted on X, “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.” Vance was referring to pushback from Trump sharing video of the U.S. military destroying the small Venezuelan boat, which the administration alleged contain several drug traffickers.
After a critic responded, “Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime‚” Vance, 41, wrote, “I don’t give a s--t what you call it.”
Paul made headlines for his strong response to Vance’s brash remarks. The senator wrote, “Did [Vance] ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation?? What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial.”
Paul has been a continual thorn in the Trump administration’s side. Though Vance or Trump have yet to publicly respond to Paul’s criticisms, administration insiders have begun insulting him to news publications. On Monday, an anonymous source close to Vance told Politico that Paul has a “debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
The White House and Paul did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
