Why Trump is changing the DOD's name

Really, it has to do with winning. We should have won every war. We could have won every war. But we really chose to be very politically correct or "wokey." And we just fight forever. Aaron Navarro joins me now from the White House. This press conference just wrapped up. That's a bit of what the president had to say about this, I guess, not rebranding, but reaching back to original branding of the Department of War. That's right, Major, a bit of a retro throwback. As you mentioned, it had been a while since it was known as the Department of War, changed by President Truman in the 1940s and then by Congress two years later to make sure that is concrete. I want to note that the move here through this executive order is making it the Department of War in its secondary title only. Congress still has a role here in officially changing the name, but pretty much any official correspondence coming from what is now known as the Department of War can be labeled under the Department of War. You're seeing the title card for Secretary Hegseth now, the Secretary of War, as he is referring to himself as that. And I thought it was really notable, both from President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, saying that when it was known as the Department of Defense, the US were losing wars and that during the Department-of-War era, the first time around, they won World War I and World War II. Hegseth went on to note that that's not to disparage the troops in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, but just to say that they believe that the military has gone to in their words, politically correct during the time of the Department of Defense. And they're looking to make not just a name change, but an attitude change with this Department of War executive order.

And it seems relevant in the context of what we were just talking about before you came on with us, Aaron, F-35s heading to the Caribbean, a kinetic military strike in international waters against an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel boat. In the Caribbean and off the shore of Venezuela, things are undisputedly heating up. Yeah, definitely. And when our own colleague Ed O'Keefe asked President Trump how he would describe that build up in the Caribbean near Venezuela, President Trump talked about battling against the drug trafficking that he believes is coming from those states. He said, quote, "we're strong on drugs." And when asked, should Venezuela fly fighter jets above US Navy ships again, President Trump said, quote, "they're going to be in trouble," so signaling that his administration might take action there, should they do it again. And the what used to be known as the Department of Defense, has also said that they would advise against that. Just a month ago, it was the president talking about being the president of peace. Aaron Navarro, on the North Lawn of the White House, thanks so very much.