On Saturday, March 1st, President Donald Trump signed an executive order making English the official national language of the United States. The order overturned a directive from former President Bill Clinton that required federal agencies and federally funded organizations to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.
English has always been the primary language in government, law, and public life, but no official designation existed until now. President Trump’s order stresses the importance of a common language for national unity.
“A nationally designated language is at the core of a unified and cohesive society, and the United States is strengthened by a citizenry that can freely exchange ideas in one shared language,” the order states.
The order does not ban multilingual services but allows agencies to decide whether to continue offering them. Trump argues that promoting English will help immigrants integrate and succeed.
“In welcoming new Americans, a policy of encouraging the learning and adoption of our national language will make the United States a shared home and empower new citizens to achieve the American dream,” the order says. “Speaking English not only opens doors economically, but it helps newcomers engage in their communities, participate in national traditions, and give back to our society.”
Trump has long supported this policy. During a 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference speech, he criticized government reliance on multilingual services, saying, “We have languages coming into our country. We don’t have one instructor in our entire nation that can speak that language. These are languages—it’s the craziest thing—they have languages that nobody in this country has ever heard of. It’s a very horrible thing.”
