In 2015, Donald Trump criticized Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish, asserting that English should be the primary language in the U.S. Now, as president, Trump plans to sign an executive order designating English as the official language. This largely symbolic move aligns with the English-only movement, aiming to limit bilingual education and immigration. While over 30 states have already made English their official language, backlash has erupted from pro-immigration groups and Democratic leaders, who argue it undermines America’s diversity. Critics, including those from Puerto Rico, contend it threatens their cultural identity and may face legal challenges.
Back in 2015, when Donald J. Trump was initially campaigning for the presidency, he made fun of his opponent Jeb Bush, who occasionally responded to questions in Spanish.
“This is a nation that speaks English, not Spanish,” Mr. Trump remarked.
Fast forward ten years, Mr. Trump, now serving his second term as president, is attempting to transform this once political insult into the United States’ official policy.
On Friday, a White House official announced that Mr. Trump plans to sign an executive order to establish English as the official language of the United States. The timing for this signing remains unspecified.
While the order is expected to be mostly symbolic, it would mark a significant achievement for the English-only movement in the country, which has been associated with efforts to limit bilingual education and curb immigration to the U.S. Over 30 states have already declared English as their official language.
Despite over three-quarters of Americans speaking only English at home, the U.S. is home to approximately 42 million Spanish speakers and three million Chinese speakers.
The proposed executive order would revoke a mandate from the Clinton administration that required agencies and federal funding recipients to offer language assistance to non-English speakers, though agencies would still have the option to maintain current practices and provide documents and services in other languages, according to the White House. The Wall Street Journal first reported on this impending order.
“Designating English as the official language fosters unity, enhances operational efficiency in government, and provides a foundation for civic engagement,” a White House document stated.
The news about the proposed order was quickly met with approval from those associated with Mr. Trump’s America First movement.
“This is HUGE,” wrote conservative activist Charlie Kirk on social media. “Amid mass immigration, declaring the English language as the American language sends a message of national UNITY.”
However, the initiative quickly faced criticism from pro-immigration advocates and Democratic leaders.
“Like many other executive orders and actions taken, we will need to assess whether his actions are compliant with the law and the U.S. Constitution,” remarked Representative Hakeem Jeffries from New York, the House minority leader. “If they are not, I’m confident he’ll face legal challenges.”
United We Dream, a youth-led organization, highlighted that the U.S. has never formally designated an official language throughout its history.
“We say this with all due disrespect: No gracias,” expressed Anabel Mendoza, the communications director for the organization. “We see his actions for what they are—targeting Black and brown immigrants and communities that speak different languages, which we will not accept.”
The proposed order also faced opposition from Puerto Rico, where 94 percent of the population speaks Spanish.
“The president’s directive to declare English the sole official language of the United States represents a notion of American identity that contradicts our Puerto Rican identity,” stated Pablo José Hernández Rivera, the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico and a nonvoting House member. “Statehood cannot exist without assimilation, and we, as Puerto Ricans, will never abandon our identity.”