Pete Hegseth’s Department of Cringe, by Tom Nichols
Today’s must-read: Why renaming the Defense Department is a “pathetic stunt”
 

One Story to Read Today highlights a single newly published—or newly relevant—Atlantic story that’s worth your time.

“I have a better idea. Let’s skip the ‘War’ name and go right to the ‘Department of Cringe.’ It may not strike fear into the hearts of evildoers overseas, but it will resonate with Americans who take national defense seriously,” Tom Nichols writes.

(Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Al Drago / Bloomberg / Getty.)

 

Donald Trump is a showman who likes flashy spectacles and heated controversies. He has chosen Cabinet nominees for their shock value, attacked famous American universities, mobilized the Justice Department against his political enemies, and sent troops into American cities, fully aware of how much these theatrics would enrage his opponents.

But even in a term marked by political performance art, Trump’s plan to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War might be a new high—or low.

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