Trump to Sign Executive Order Making English Official US Language

President Donald Trump is set to unveil a groundbreaking executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, according to three White House officials who spoke with CNBC on Friday. This historic move marks a significant milestone, as it will be the first time in U.S. history that a national language is formally established.

Rescinding Previous Directives

As part of this executive order, Trump intends to revoke a directive issued by former President Bill Clinton in August 2000, which mandated agencies and other recipients of federal funds to provide services for individuals with limited English proficiency. This information was revealed through a fact sheet shared with CNBC.

While Trump's designation will permit federal agencies to uphold their existing policies and continue offering documents and services in languages other than English, it also urges "new Americans to adopt a national language that opens doors to greater opportunities," as stated in the fact sheet. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on Trump's plan to issue the order earlier on the same day.

Although there is currently no mention of the precise timing for the signing of this executive order in Trump's schedule for Friday, a White House source did not disclose when Trump is anticipated to formalize the order.

The language landscape in the US

Notably, over half of the U.S. states have already officially recognized English as their official language. However, this designation has never been established at the federal level. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately one in five Americans, which equates to nearly 68 million individuals, spoke a language other than English at home in 2019. This figure represents a near tripling of the number of non-English speakers in the country since 1980.

Promoting unity and efficiency

The White House fact sheet posits that the establishment of a national language "strengthens the fabric of our society" by fostering unity and civic engagement, as well as enhancing "efficiency in government operations."

Throughout Trump's political career, he has fueled unfounded concerns among voters about undocumented immigrants. However, during his 2024 presidential campaign, he has notably shifted his focus towards languages, portraying them as a manifestation of what he claims to be unchecked immigration. He made this point during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, expressing, "We have languages coming into our country ... that nobody in this country has ever heard of."