News Wrap: Trump signs order aimed at renaming Defense Department as Department of War
PBS News Hour - Segments
PBS NewsHour
4.1 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 5 September 2025
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | We start today's other headlines with a notable name change from the nation's commander-in-chief. |
| 0:04.9 | This afternoon, President Trump ordered that the Defense Department changed back to its old title, |
| 0:09.6 | The Department of War. |
| 0:10.8 | I think that's a big one, I'll be honest. |
| 0:14.6 | The move is largely symbolic. |
| 0:16.6 | Only Congress can officially change the department's name, but today's order will authorize the Pentagon |
| 0:21.9 | and Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth to use secondary titles, like calling himself the Secretary |
| 0:27.2 | of War. Both Hegeseth and Trump acknowledged the symbolism of today's action. |
| 0:32.0 | They went a route that I think was probably politically correct, but not correct for our nation. |
| 0:39.4 | So I think the Department of War sends a signal. |
| 0:42.4 | Within minutes of today's announcement, staff at the Pentagon started taking down signs |
| 0:47.0 | to have them changed. |
| 0:48.6 | The department was called the Department of War for 150 years until shortly after World War |
| 0:53.9 | when it was changed to |
| 0:55.2 | defense. Also today, President Trump signed an order that would allow the U.S. to punish |
| 1:00.0 | countries that wrongfully imprison U.S. nationals. It would create a new designation for state |
| 1:05.4 | sponsors of wrongful detention, similar to the designation of state sponsors of terrorism. |
| 1:11.4 | More now on the immigration raid in Georgia. Homeland Security officials say they've carried out |
| 1:16.1 | the largest single-site enforcement operation in DHS history. |
| 1:20.8 | 475 people were arrested at the manufacturing plant where Hyundai makes electric vehicles, |
| 1:26.2 | most of them South Korean nationals. |
| 1:28.3 | At a news conference, officials described a month-long investigation into allegations |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from PBS NewsHour, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of PBS NewsHour and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

