Donald Trump to order English as official language in US in new executive order: report
US President Donald Trump is expected to sign a new executive order decreeing English the official language of America.
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US President Donald Trump is set to make English the official language of the United States in a bid to bring “cohesion” to a country long characterised by immigration from all over the world, according to a White House document cited by AFP.
“It is long past time English is recognised as the official language of the United States,” the document, provided by an official on condition of anonymity, said.
Mr Trump’s executive order “affirms that a common language fosters national cohesion.”
The President is expected to sign the executive order later on Friday, local time, which rescinds a mandate issued by former President Bill Clinton in 2000 that required federal agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers, according to Fox News.
The US has never had an official language in its nearly 250-year history, though every major document such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence has been written in English.
About 180 countries of the 195 countries worldwide have official languages, leaving the U.S. as one of the few countries that has not officiated a language, a White House official said.
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EU PLANS RECIPROCAL TARIFFS ON US
The EU will impose “reciprocal” tariffs on US steel and aluminium if President Donald Trump moves ahead with threatened 25 percent duties on European imports, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.
If the tariffs are confirmed, “Europeans will respond and therefore there will be reciprocal tariffs. Because we must protect ourselves, defend ourselves,” Macron said in Porto during a state visit to Portugal.
“We must not be weak in the face of these measures,” he said alongside Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.
“Of course Europe will have to react to the tariffs, at the same or similar level,” Montenegro said, adding that “it would make no sense not to do the same”.
‘WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?’: TRUMP’S AUKUS GAFFE
Donald Trump appeared not to know what the AUKUS defence pact was when he was asked about it by a reporter for the first time since he returned to power.
During a meeting in the Oval Office with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a reporter twice referred to AUKUS when asking the US President if it would be part of their discussions.
“What does that mean?” Mr Trump replied.
When the reporter spelled out that he was referring to the defence agreement between Australia, the UK, and the US, the President said: “We’ll be discussing that.”
“We’ve had another great relationship and you have too with Australia,” Mr Trump said, as Mr Starmer agreed.
“We’ve had a very good relationship with Australia.”
Australia is due to purchase at least three nuclear-powered submarines from the US in the early 2030s as part of the pact that was established under former president Joe Biden.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump’s Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the President was “very aware, supportive of AUKUS”.
“It enhances our ability in the subterranean (sic) space, but also our allies and partners. This is not a mission in the Indo-Pacific that America can undertake by itself,” Mr Hegseth said.
“Subs are a huge part of it, so he’s aware, and appreciative for his support and leadership.”
His comments were warmly received by the Albanese government amid uncertainty about Mr Trump’s personal view on the pact, given he had not been asked about it publicly.
But his response in the Oval Office on Thursday (local time) is set to reignite the debate about whether Australia can rely on his administration’s commitment to AUKUS.
Democratic congressman Joe Courtney, a co-chair of the congressional AUKUS caucus, told Mr Trump to talk to Mr Hegseth after he received a $US500m cheque from Australia to progress the pact.
“A great deal for America,” Mr Courtney said.
KING CHARLES INVITES TRUMP ON ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ SECOND STATE VISIT
President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation from King Charles III for a second state visit to the United Kingdom.
The invite came in a letter presented to Mr Trump by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is meeting with Mr Trump at the White House regarding ending the war in Ukraine.
“This is really special. This has never happened before. This is unprecedented,” Mr Starmer said as he was sitting next to Mr Trump in the Oval Office.
“I think that just symbolises the strength of the relationship between us. This is a very special letter. I think the last state visit was a tremendous success,” he continued. “His Majesty the King wants to make this even better than that.”
“What I haven’t got yet is your answer,” M Starmer then said.
“The answer is yes, on behalf of our wonderful First Lady Melania and myself, the answer is yes and we look forward to being there and honoring the king and honoring really your country,” Mr Trump answered.
“Your country is a fantastic country.”
TRUMP’S FBI DIRECTOR WANTS TO DRAW ON UFC EXPERTISE
Donald Trump’s newly installed FBI Director has suggested boosting the ranks of the FBI using United Fighting Championship (UFC) martial arts entertainers.
Kash Patel believes the UFC could develop training programs to help enhance the skills of FBI agents, as he suggested on a call after being sworn in last week.
The head of the UFC donated heavily to Mr Trump’s campaign to win the presidency.
UFC is based in Las Vegas where Mr Patel lives.
US SLASHES FOREIGN AID TO THE BONE
The United States has slashed its multi-year aid contracts by 92 per cent, as it eyes US$60 billion in savings in development and overseas humanitarian programs, the State Department announced.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office, demanding a 90-day freeze on all US foreign aid to give his administration time to review overseas spending, with an eye to gutting programs not aligned with his “America First” agenda.
A federal judge had given the Trump administration less than two days to unfreeze all aid after a previous court order issued nearly two weeks earlier went ignored.
But the Trump administration filed an emergency petition to the US Supreme Court, which issued an administrative stay late Wednesday, pausing the lower court’s order.
“At the conclusion of a process led by USAID leadership, including tranches personally reviewed by Secretary (Marco) Rubio, nearly 5,800 awards with $54 billion in value remaining were identified for elimination as part of the America First agenda - a 92 per cent reduction,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
The administration’s review in part targeted multi-year foreign assistance contracts awarded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), with the vast majority eliminated during its course.
It also looked at more than 9,100 grants involving foreign assistance, valued at more than US$15.9 billion.
Following the review, 4,100 grants worth almost US$4.4 billion were targeted to be eliminated, a 28 per cent reduction.
“These commonsense eliminations will allow the bureaus, along with their contracting and grants officers, to focus on remaining programs, find additional efficiencies and tailor subsequent programs more closely to the Administration’s America First priorities,” the State Department statement said.
USAID distributes US humanitarian aid around the world, with health and emergency programs in around 120 countries.
Programs that were not cut included food assistance, lifesaving medical treatments for diseases like HIV and malaria, and support for countries including Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela and Lebanon, among others, the State Department spokesperson said.
USAID, created after a bill passed by Congress in 1961, had a workforce of more than 10,000 employees before the freeze, which sparked shock and dismay among personnel.
Mr Trump has said USAID was “run by radical lunatics” while Elon Musk has described it as a “criminal organisation” needing to be put “through the woodchipper.”
Mr Musk, the world’s richest person, spoke about the controversial DOGE program at Mr Trump’s first cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
“If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt,” the tech tycoon told cabinet members, adding that he was “taking a lot of flak, and getting a lot of death threats.”
A TRUMP $250 BILL?
A US congressman announced he’s drafting legislation to feature President Trump on a new $250 bill – despite federal laws restricting any living person from appearing on US currency.
Republican Joe Wilson posted an AI-generated design of Mr Trump’s face adorning the currency on social media.
“Grateful to announce that I am drafting legislation to direct the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring Donald J. Trump,” Mr Wilson, from South Carolina, said on X.
Grateful to announce that I am drafting legislation to direct the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring Donald J. Trump. Bidenflation has destroyed the economy forcing American families to carry more cash. Most valuable bill for most valuable President! pic.twitter.com/v4glGOB2z3
— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) February 25, 2025
“Bidenflation has destroyed the economy forcing American families to carry more cash. Most valuable bill for most valuable President!”
Wilson’s bill, however, would contradict current laws that forbid portraits of any living person from appearing on American money.
Bills larger than $100 have also been discontinued from circulation since 1969 due to lack of use, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
It comes after an upstate New York congresswoman pushed for Mr Trump’s birthday to be a federal holiday.
Claudia Tenney said she introduced legislation to merge the existing annual Flag Day commemoration with the president’s birthday for a new combined holiday to be celebrated June 14.
“By designating Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day as a federal holiday, we can ensure President Trump’s contributions to American greatness and the importance of the American Flag are forever enshrined into law,” the Republican congresswoman said in her announcement.
TRUMP ORDERS FREEZE ON US GOVT CREDIT CARDS
President Trump has directed federal agencies to implement a 30-day freeze on the use of government-issued credit cards as part of his latest executive order.
The order implements the Department of Government Efficiency’s “Cost Efficiency Initiative,” which aims to ensure that “government spending is transparent and government employees are accountable to the American public.”
The pause of credit card usage comes a week after DOGE discovered nearly US$40 billion in spending last year linked to government-issued plastic.
EU CLAPS BACK AT TRUMP
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has rejected US President Donald Trump’s remark that the European Union “was formed in order to screw the United States”.
Mr Trump threatened to slap 25-percent tariffs on goods imported from the EU as frictions soared between Washington and its European allies.
“Look, let’s be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States,” Mr Trump told reporters in Washington at his first cabinet meeting.
“That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it,” he added.
But Mr Tusk, a former European Council chief, has rebutted Mr Trump’s words, saying on X: “The EU wasn’t formed to screw anyone.”
“Quite the opposite. It was formed to maintain peace, to build respect among our nations, to create free and fair trade, and to strengthen our transatlantic friendship. As simple as that,” Mr Tusk added.
Poland country currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
Mr Tusk said earlier this month that everything must be done to avoid a “totally unnecessary and stupid” trade war.
The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, warned it would respond “firmly and immediately” should Mr Trump impose new tariffs.
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Originally published as Donald Trump to order English as official language in US in new executive order: report
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