Trump signs order making English official language of the U.S. for first time
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Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 26. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Trump on Saturday issued an executive order declaring English the official language of the United States.
Why it matters: More than 350 languages are spoken in the "melting pot" of the U.S., but this is the first time the U.S. federal government has declared the country to have a single official language.
- About 22% of people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, according to the Census Bureau.
The big picture: The executive order said declaring English the country's official language will promote unity, provide a path toward civic engagement and ensure efficiency in the government.
- "Establishing English as the official language will not only streamline communication but also reinforce shared national values, and create a more cohesive and efficient society," the order said.
- The order also rescinds a Clinton administration mandate requiring federal agencies and other federally funded institutions to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.
- The Wall Street Journal first reported on the order.
State of play: Trump has made cracking down on immigration one of the cornerstone goals of his second term and has a history of denigrating non-English speaking immigrants.
- During the 2024 presidential campaign, he repeatedly warned crowds of supporters that migrants were entering the country who spoke "truly foreign" languages and languages that "nobody ever heard of," though he did not specify which languages he was referring to.
- Trump also promoted baseless claims about immigrants, including that tens of thousands of illegal immigrants were being "dropped" into communities like Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado.
Zoom out: While Trump's executive order marks the first time the U.S. has declared an official language, 32 states across the U.S. have designated English as their official tongue.
Go deeper: Trump's mass deportation plan hits its own wall
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Trump issued the executive order.
