U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that, for the first time in the country’s history, he will sign an order officially recognizing English as the national language, reports the “Adyrna” national portal, citing The Wall Street Journal.
Currently, the U.S. does not have an officially recognized national language at the federal level. Only some states recognize English as their official language. According to the ProEnglish organization, 32 states have officially declared English as their official language.
The new order will repeal a federal requirement introduced by former President Bill Clinton, which mandated that agencies and organizations receiving federal funding provide language assistance to citizens who do not speak English.
The status of the English language in the U.S. has been a frequent topic of discussion, particularly in Texas, where the widespread use of Spanish has sparked debates for many years. In 2011, a Texas senator demanded that an immigrant rights activist speak English during a legislative hearing.
During Trump’s political campaigns, combating illegal immigration and emphasizing the importance of the English language were key priorities. In his 2016 election campaign, he criticized his opponent Jeb Bush for using Spanish, stating, “We are a nation that speaks English.”
