Former U.S. Naval War College professor Tom Nichols criticized President Trump’s Department of Defense/War for removing olive branches from the Great Seal of the United States.
The Never-Trump conservative shared an adaptation of the image used for an Operation Epic Fury press conference announcement (see below) and wrote: “A small thing, but removing the olive branches from the eagle’s talons on the Great Seal is a sign of an insecure and adolescent conception of what it means to be a great power. There’s a reason the founders put those olive branches there.”
A small thing, but removing the olive branches from the eagle’s talons on the Great Seal is a sign of an insecure and adolescent conception of what it means to be a great power. There’s a reason the founders put those olive branches there.https://t.co/jD6t5oMWub https://t.co/ZNEdHZmfjF
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 5, 2026
While Trump supporters replied to Nichols saying the visual change “makes sense” due to the name change (from Department of Defense to Department of War) and “it’s because we’re at war,” others noted that olive branches symbolize more than peace.
As CSUF philosophy professor Amy Coplan replied: “I wonder if they realize that in addition to symbolizing peace & good will, olive branches also symbolize wisdom & strength. I highly doubt it.”
[NOTE: According to the State Department, in 1782 the Continental Congress agreed upon the Great Seal design, which “reflected the beliefs and values that the Founding Fathers ascribed to the new nation…to symbolize our country’s strength, unity, and independence.” The State Department also writes: “The olive branch and the arrows held in the eagle’s talons denote the power of peace and war. The eagle always casts its gaze toward the olive branch signifying that our nation desires to pursue peace but stands ready to defend itself.”]