U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order Friday rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, saying it sent a "message of victory" to the rest of the world.

Flanked by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth at a signing ceremony at the White House, the Republican president said the current name that had been in place for more than 70 years was too "wokey."

"I think it sends a message of victory," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office about the rebranding. "It's a much more appropriate name in light of where the world is right now."