U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring English as the official language of the country, The New York Times reported, according to the national portal Adyrna.
The order was originally adopted during the Bill Clinton administration and removes the rule requiring government agencies and federally funded institutions to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. However, the new document still allows agencies to continue offering documents and services in other languages if they choose to do so.
This decision is seen as a major victory for the “English Only” movement, which advocates for restricting bilingual education and reducing immigration. Currently, more than 30 states have recognized English as their official language.
According to the White House statement, this move aims to strengthen national unity, improve government efficiency, and increase citizens’ participation in public life.
In the U.S., about three-quarters of the population speak only English at home, while there are approximately 42 million Spanish speakers and 3 million Chinese speakers in the country.
Trump has previously expressed support for an “English-only” policy in the U.S. In 2015, during his presidential campaign, he criticized his opponent Jeb Bush for occasionally answering questions in Spanish.
