Trump threatens to defy law on renaming Defense Department: 'We're just going to do it'

President Donald Trump threatened to rename the Department of Defense without obtaining permission from Congress, even if it would run afoul of the law.

At an Oval Office event on Monday, Trump said he would "probably" rename the Pentagon to the Department of War in the coming days.

A reporter later pointed out that changing the name would require congressional approval.

"It requires an act of Congress to rename the Defense Department to the Department of War," the correspondent noted during an afternoon event at the White House.

"We're just going to do it," Trump replied. "I'm sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don't think we even need that. But if we need that, I'm sure Congress will go along."

"You know, that was the name when we were, we won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything," he added. "And just to me seems like just a much more appropriate. The other is defense is too defensive. And we want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive too if we have to be. So it just sounded to me, but really like a better name."

Watch the video below from C-SPAN.