Trump to Sign Executive Order Making English Official Language of US

Washington: US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Friday designating English as the official language of the United States, according to the White House.

The order will give government agencies and federally funded organizations the option to decide whether to continue providing documents and services in languages other than English, according to a fact sheet on the upcoming order.

English As National Language of US

This executive order by Trump will rescind a mandate from former President Bill Clinton's August 2000 directive that required the government and organizations that received federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.

The order will establish a national language for the first time in US history.

Designating English as the national language, the White House said, “promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement,” 

Majority of States Adopt English, But Feds Hold Back

More than 30 states in US have formally established English as their official language. But the federal government is yet to do the same.

Trump’s schedule for Friday currently does not include time for signing any executive orders. A White House source did not provide an immediate indication of when the order might be signed.

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Throughout his political career, Trump has fueled unfounded concerns among voters about undocumented immigrants. During his 2024 presidential campaign, he focused on language issues, portraying them as evidence of unchecked immigration.

For decades, lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation to designate English as the official language of the U.S., but those efforts have not succeeded.

Within hours of Trump's inauguration last month, the new administration took down the Spanish language version of the official White House website.

Hispanic advocacy groups and others expressed confusion and frustration at the change. The White House said at the time it was committed to bringing the Spanish language version of the website back online. As of Friday, it was still not restored. 

(with AP inputs)